Of Love, Hate, and Other Crap
by gamer201
Summary: Two years after the death of Eggman, strange events are beginning to show signs that someone may have taken over Eggman's work. Is world domination their only goal, or is there something more? Rated M for adult content in later chapters.
1. A Slight Problem

**Of Love, Hate, and Other Crap**

**Notes from author**: Hello. I'm gamer201, your author today. And maybe for a few months too. I'd like to start off by saying this is my first fanfic ever, so please try to excuse any poor layout, other problems you find, or my overall... Well, let's say lack of motivation. I recently invested in a PS2 and have to say, I'm enjoying it at all hours of the day. Now then, this is going to be a bit of a romance fic, but of course with an evil bastard in there trying to kill or kidnap people. Sonic/Amy, Tails/Cream, Knuckles/Rouge, all the favorite combinations. There will be a few... hardcore scenes in this one, so if you're not mature enough to handle that, stop reading, hit AltF4, and come back when you're 13 or older. Also, I will try to put up one chapter a week, 2 if I feel like it, but only if I begin to get reviews. Good or bad doesn't matter, but I'm not going to write for nothing. Also, every so often I'll try to sum up events so far. If this is a problem, bite me.

**Disclaimer**: Sonic the Hedgehog and other affiliated characters are copyright to Sega and I do not own them in any way, shape, or form. This fic is also not authorized by Sega. There, I said it. Now, by no stretch of the imagination will one be able to find some excuse to sue me over this. If anyone wishes to challenge that, we'll have a battle of wits and wallets in court, and I will win. Because I'm good like that. Oh, check this out. It's my definition of the word "disclaimer". Note that this may or may not have been influenced by the movie "Dogma," but it probably was.

disclaimer (dis-CLAIM-er) _n._ - a statement made to save one's own ass

How true. Now on with the actual friggin' story... Oh, wait, hold up. Almost forgot. I don't really have any extensive knowledge about the Sonic series or a lot of the characters, so bear with me here. I'll try to avoid putting down things that make me look like a dumbass.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: A Slight Problem**

Just another typical afternoon for the Chaotix Detective Agency. No work for weeks, bills to pay(high ones at that), and the door in need of repairs after Espio had thrown one too many kunais at it. Espio(the aforementioned chameleon ninja) was standing in his usual spot, on the right in the back corner where he could see the entire office, and out the window. Of course, his eyes were closed, as though he were meditating. Sitting at the very cluttered desk in the middle of the small, grimy office, with his feet up, was Vector, a huge gator with a bit of a passion for music(mostly rock). Charmy, the small bee with a maturity level the complete opposite of his two co-workers and the IQ of a cannoli, was nowhere to be seen. He was supposedly out pollinating the flowers, being that it was the springtime, but Vector had reason to believe he was out pollinating a flower of a different variety. He WAS just reaching puberty at the age of 12, and naturally his hormones would be starting to think for him, instead of his mind(not to mention he'd taken to sharpening his stinger so it would look impressive for the girls). But, no accusations were made on this point, the idea being that as long as Charmy ran wild and didn't worry about what Vector or Espio thought, the decibel level of the office would be kept to a minimum(not to mention the complaints about being bored). But, not all good things are meant to last, as Espio looked up, straightened up and opened his eyes at the sound of a little kid crying. Even Vector could hear it through his headphones, which were blasting music so loud it's a surprise Espio wasn't bothered by it. Sure enough, seconds later, the door was thrown open and Charmy came buzzing in, bawling for all he was worth. He was holding his swollen left hand tightly in his right, almost cutting off circulation. Neither Vector nor Espio had a chance to ask.

"WAAAAAAAAH! SOMEONE GET ME A BAND-AID!" wailed the little bee. "I STUNG MYSELF AGAIN!"

"Hmph," grunted Espio, leaning back again. "I thought you had the sense to stop trying to sharpen your stinger with that little file of yours after you stung yourself the fourth time. Obviously I was wrong."

"BUT IT HUUUUUUUUUUURTS!"

"Ah, all right, Charmy, jeez!" Vector sat up with a groan, pulled open a drawer, and tossed a box of Band-Aids to Charmy. The little bee instantly let go of his hand, caught the box, and within seconds had torn it apart, grabbed 3 of the sticky little strips of plastic, and applied them to his hand with the dexterity of a 6-year-old who's just eaten a huge bowl of sugar.

"Ah, much better," Charmy sighed with relief(ah, the power of suggestion(at the time I'm writing this, I'm learning about it in psychology class)). He turned around in midair and looked back outside through the still-open door. A red car had pulled up during all the commotion and someone was getting out. "Hey, look! We might have a client!"

"WHAT?" Vector jumped up, grabbed a huge handful of the various drawings off the desktop, and shoved them into the drawer the Band-Aids had come from(don't wanna look like a dumbass in front of a client, right?). By this point, Charmy could make out who was coming toward the door.

"Wait a second, it's just that girl Amy Rose, the one who's always chasing around that Sonic guy," he commented. "Maybe she's coming to say hello! We haven't seen her for years, right?"

"Anyone could be a client, Charmy," replied Espio in his low voice. "Even if she's not, though, we should still keep the office looking at least somewhat orderly, in case she plans to refer someone else to us. Besides, who would come on a social call when we all had a big fight then wound up trying to fight off a giant robot? That's certainly not the best way to make friends."

"Oh yeah," Charmy muttered, suddenly feeling like a complete dumbass. At this point, a pink hedgehog of 18 walked in carrying a black leather purse on one shoulder: Amy Rose. She was wearing the same attire as always: a red dress that turned into a miniskirt at the waist, white gloves, two large gold bracelets, and large red shoes up to her knees. She came in and sat down, setting her purse down beside her.

Vector straightened up and tried to look professional as he began. "Welcome to the Chaotix Detective Agency, Miss," he started. "We specialize in just about everything: locating missing persons, solving crimes, locating missing items, you name it. What can we do for you?

"Well," Amy replied, "I think I'm being followed around for some reason. Why I would be, I dunno. I was hoping at least one of you could keep an eye on me from a short distance to see if you noticed any odd characters who always happened to be going my way."

Vector took a glance over at Espio, then back at Amy."I think we can handle that."

"I take it I was just volunteered," Espio stated.

"Yep, you just were," Vector had a bit of a grin on his face. "This is right up your alley. I've never seen anyone who's better than you when it comes to being somewhere without being noticed."

"Hmph. Flattery is not necessary," replied the dark chameleon. His purple skin shined brightly in the light. If she hadn't already known what Vector had meant by that, Amy would have been very inclined to ask. She'd felt it firsthand six years before.

**::FLASHBACK::**

Suddenly, out of the blue, as she jumped into the air and tried to attack Charmy and send him flying into the raging river, Amy felt a huge impact in her chest as Espio crashed into her body, invisible, and sent her flying into the water instead.

**::END INCREDIBLY SHORT FLASHBACK::**

Amy hadn't been holding a grudge all this time, but she felt slightly irked every time she thought about it, mostly because she broke a nail trying not to drown, and her hair and clothes had been a complete mess when she finally reached dry land(not to mention what she did when she found out her piko piko hammer was still in there). Still, if this was the only way to solve her problem, she was willing.

"Well, alright, that I'll agree to, under one condition," she stated. "That being, he doesn't follow me into places like the bathroom or anywhere else where privacy is expected."

"Very well," Espio replied instantly: he'd been expecting her to say that. "I hadn't planned on following you quite that closely anyway. However, in public, act naturally. If you keep looking around for some sign that I'm watching you, and you are indeed being stalked, you'll probably scare off the stalker and prevent me from taking him down."

"Sounds easy enough. Would it be acceptable to discuss payment after the job's finished?"

"That'd be fine," Vector replied.

"Well then, you can start immediately," Amy said to Espio. Espio nodded once, then he jumped up into the air and vanished as a column of rotating air formed where he had just stood. His voice came out of nowhere.

"Anytime you're ready."

* * *

Well, there we have it. The first chapter of what I hope is gonna be many. Hope y'all enjoyed spending 5 minutes of your lives reading it. I know I enjoyed the hour I put into thinking it up and typing it(then dealing with the typos). As you should have noticed, I at least try to use proper grammar. Makes it easier to read. It was a bit short, I know, but it'll get better. R&R please(that means Read and Review, in case you don't know(not trying to sound sarcastic, but when I first saw "R&R" I was like "WTF?" Kinda took me a minute to figure out.)). 


	2. A Good Day Gone Bad

**CHAPTER 2: A Good Day Gone Bad**

"Oh, YEAH!" exclaimed a small, orange fox kid with two tails as he read the sheet of paper the teacher handed to him. His whole homeroom class looked at him, and a big green wolf at the back glared at him.

"Shut up MILES," he growled.

"It's TAILS, for the umpteenth time, Clyde!" exclaimed Tails, the small fox of 14.

"Keep it down please, Tails," remarked the 11th grade homeroom teacher. Even though he was only 14, Tails had skipped 2 grades because of his huge IQ, and was in 7 classes with some pretty big kids. Needless to say, he was a prime target. It DID have its perks though. The girls thought he was kinda cute.

"Sorry Ms. Mary," Tails apologized. "I'm just psyched because I got all the classes I wanted."

"OOH," mocked Clyde in a high voice, "look at me, I'm special and I get to yell in class because I got all the classes I wanted!"

"Clyde, what did I just say to Tails?" Ms. Mary scolded.

"I dunno, I wasn't paying attention," he replied in a smart-assed tone of voice.

_I swear to God_, thought Tails,_ if not for the fact that I'd get expelled for it, I'd shove a fake ring bomb in his lunch. He's gonna be a lot of trouble, I know it. Maybe if I'm lucky he'll choke on something and suffer brain damage that makes him forget who he is every time he gets near a microwave and someone turns it on._

"-ails! Tails!" Ms. Mary's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Huh?" he asked, looking around.

"You'd better get going unless you have my class first period! The bell just rang!" The tall white rabbit teacher pointed at the clock.

"Whoa! The clock must be off! I thought it wasn't supposed to ring for another five minutes! I'll see you later Ms. Mary!" Tails was shoving his notebook into his backpack as he was talking. He took a look as his schedule as he walked out the door. His first class... right next door to homeroom! Least he wouldn't have to worry about being late. He walked a quick 10 feet and walked into another classroom and sat down at the front of the room, in the middle row. He was just getting comfortable when he felt a sharp sting in his left ear and heard a familiar voice.

"Hey shrimp, guess you got Shaw too, huh?" Tails turned around and saw Clyde.

"Yeah, I did," Tails replied matter-of-factly as he rubbed his ear.

"Wow, didn't know I could flick that hard. Guess my big bro wasn't kidding when he said to put some pressure on your thumb with your middle finger for a few seconds before you let it loose. Guess that means he wasn't lying when he said you could make a bomb out of fertilizer, kerosene, a rag and a bottle, either."

"I guess not. Just remember to throw it real hard after you light it..."

"Thanks for the tip. Now here's one for you: enjoy your time in this room. Shaw is the one guy I am not gonna fuck with in this school."

"And why is that?"

"You'll see before the period ends, I guarantee it. There's always ONE new dumbass who finds out what the treatment is the first day."

_The treatment? _thought Tails with a shudder. Before anything else could be said, the bell rang. During their short conversation, the room had filled up around Clyde and Tails, and the desk right behind the fox was the only one left. Consequently, that's where Clyde sat down before the bell finished ringing. As soon as the ringing stopped, a massive gator wearing a green shirt and a brown leather belt, and that strongly resembled Vector, stepped into the room and pulled the door shut so hard the entire class jumped when it hit the frame.

"So it begins," whispered Clyde. "That wasn't even a real slam for him."

_I wonder what the belt's for_, thought Tails.

"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down!" the gator said in a loud voice. "My name's Mr. Shaw, you can call me that or just Shaw if you want. Nothing else. Got me?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Alright, first we go over the rules. Rule #1: Bring your supplies to class every day. That's self-explanatory. Rule #2: Act right. That's it. You should all know what act right means, by this point, and if you don't I pity you. It's a lot like kindergarten. You keep your hands and feet to yourselves, you keep the decibel level down, and if any of you should feel the need to stop acting right and you go too far with it, you'll get the treatment." At this moment a big black cat in the back of the room wearing a black and white football jersey(#42) spat on the floor next to his desk.

"Fuck you asshole," he growled. As quick as a flash, Shaw was back there, belt in one hand and one of the cat's wrists in the other, and he was putting his belt across the cat's ass(he'd jerked El Senor Spitwad to his feet). The cat started crying like a baby after the first swing. When he was done whooping his ass, Shaw let the cat go, and the big cat sat back down.

"You see this kind of thing puts me into a foul mood," stated Shaw, putting his belt back on, "and the school has no rule against putting a belt across your rear end if I see fit. In the case of you ladies, it's a bit different. Male teachers aren't allowed to whip you, but Ms. Mary in the classroom next door has a really strong swing for a lady. That or I'll let you choose pages, but that's only if you feel like wasting an entire night, 20 pieces of paper, and a perfectly good pencil doing them. That goes for you guys too. Any questions so far?"

_Wow, _thought Tails, _that kid's huge, and he's a football player. Shaw brought him to tears in one shot! No wonder Clyde won't mess with him!_

"Alright, onto how I run this class..."

* * *

At the end of the day, Tails walked out of his last class, slightly tired, very full from lunch(mm, pizza!) and overall pleased with his day. No assignments from anyone, not even homework; the teachers learned quickly that he hated the name Miles and went by Tails; they'd played that oh-so-fun little game in English where they took as many pieces of candy as they wanted, then stood up and said as many things about themselves as they'd taken pieces of candy(i.e. take 3 pieces, say 3 things); he had found all his classes easily enough; and he hadn't had any trouble from the other kids- yet. As he walked to his locker to put his things away, he passed Shaw. He remembered that huge cat and how easily Shaw had him crying in class. Tails shuddered visibly at the thought and kept walking toward his locker. He pulled the little metal compartment open and hung up his bookbag, though he had to fly up using his two tails in order to reach the hook.

_Ah, the perks of being above a sophomore,_ he thought. _We get full-size lockers with a decent amount of space between them. Guess that must be so juniors and seniors don't argue about who has the better lockers. Like the juniors would be able to come up with anything..._ He landed and reached for the door to the locker to close it. _Maybe I'll stop by the store on the way home and get a soda. Then I wanna go tell Sonic about the day, since he wanted to know how it went._ Tails's hand touched the locker door- and a large hand grabbed his wrist.

"NO DON'T WHIP ME I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" he cried out, thinking it was Shaw, having remembered just how he'd lifted that huge cat up(let's call that cat Joe. I'm too lazy to think up a real name).

"WHOA!" Clyde's voice yelled out. "Easy shrimp, I'm not gonna beat the shit out of you. I WAS gonna just stuff you in there..." Clyde's voice trailed off as he looked around. Tails looked up, heart racing from the scare, and saw Clyde grin evilly. "Well, no one came running. Guess I'll do it anyway." Clyde picked Tails up by his wrist and stuffed him in the locker. Then he closed the door quickly and locked it. "See ya tomorrow shrimp!"

"HEY! LET ME OUT OF HERE CLYDE! COME ON!" Tails yelled as loud as he could, hoping Shaw would hear. No luck, since he heard Clyde just walk away humming to himself. "Ah, man, now what am I gonna do!?" Tails tried to sit down and start crying, being the sensitive type, but couldn't, so he just stood there and cried.

* * *

Hello there again, folks! This is your author speaking. Wow, Tails is in quite a jam, huh? I nearly had that happen to me once, but I was lucky: I had too much flab on me at the time and didn't fit in the locker. Since then I've remembered to over-eat on a regular basis. Anywho, hope this chapter wasn't too short for you. I really can't tell until I get it uploaded. I'll get better as I go along though. Anyway, how about that teacher Shaw? Reducing a football player to tears in one shot... I have a teacher at my school that did that once. From what I heard, that guy didn't piss that teacher off again for a LONG time. Course, when someone can easily bench 400 pounds, you tend to avoid getting on their bad side... Anyway, back on subject, I'm pretty sure I've already said I'll try to do a chapter a week(or two chapters, if I feel particularly bored), so I'll just skip that part. Please R&R as usual. Don't worry, in case you're wondering, things WILL start to come together as we go along. I'm cooking new shit up every day.


	3. What's Going On Around Here?

**NOTES FROM AUTHOR: **Yo, whaddup? This is your author speaking. Again. Unfortunately, I just forgot what I planned to say. DAMN!

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: What's going on around here?**

"Cream! Over here!" shouted Amy over the buzz of the middle school kids. Cream, a cream-colored rabbit(could there be a connection?) wearing a white dress with a blue ribbon around her collar, looked over and saw her. Instead of getting on the bus like she had intended, Cream walked over to Amy's shiny red Corvette.

"Hi Amy," she greeted. "Come to pick me up on the first day, I see."

"Yeah," Amy replied. "Come on, let's get going. I've never seen so many crappy drivers on the road in one day. I nearly got rear-ended twice on the way here. I wanna get off the road pretty quick, before rush hour."

"Okay." Cream pulled off her backpack and set it in the back seat- right in Espio's lap. She noticed it was kinda floating there and blinked. "Amy, why is my backpack floating?"

"You set it on my lap," replied Espio's voice, causing Cream to jump.

"Who's that!?" she asked, startled.

"That's Espio," Amy stated. "Remember, I told you I was gonna see about getting someone to keep an eye on me?"

"Oh, that's right," Cream said, getting over her slight shock and getting into the car. As she pulled on her seat belt, she looked over her shoulder. "My name is Cream, Mr. Espio. Nice to meet you."

"You can drop the 'Mr.'," Espio replied. "It doesn't sound right."

"Alright, I will," Cream replied as the car began to pull away from Station Square Middle School. As the car reached the road, two Chao flew up out of nowhere and landed in Cream's lap: one brown, one blue.

"Oh, hi guys," Amy said. "Are you not allowed to take them to school anymore, Cream?"

"No," Cream replied glumly. "Not since they tackled a guy who was teasing me about my dress."

"Kids these days," Espio muttered. "Always finding some way to antagonize each other."

"So, how was your first day?" Amy asked, trying to change the subject.

"Nothing remarkable, really," Cream replied. "Just the usual things. Going over rules, getting supply lists, meeting our teachers, things like that. Lunch was good though. I had a garden salad. It was that or pizza, and our school cooks aren't very good. Last year, they burned down the school kitchen."

"I remember you telling me about that," Amy said, waving a pedestrian past. "You said the school was ordering fast food en masse for the next week, right?"

"Right," said Cream. At that moment, Amy's cell phone rang.

"Ah, shoot," Amy said. "Cream, could you take a message for me? There's a lot of cops out today."

"Alright." Cream picked up the cell phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this Miss Rose?" asked a male voice on the other end.

"This is her number, but she's driving right now," answered Cream.

"Well, could you please tell her to drop by the restaurant?" asked the person on the other end. "We've got a major problem down here."

"Okay, I'll tell her."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye bye". Cream hit the off button on the phone and put it back on its portable charger. "The person on the other end said you need to drop by the restaurant. He said there was a big problem. He didn't say what it was."

"Ah, geez," groaned Amy. "So much for getting home before the idiots got out on the road... Do you mind getting home a little late, Cream?"

"No, I don't mind," Cream replied. "I need to start learning to start sorting these problems out anyway, right?"

"Well, when you put it that way, probably."

* * *

Even from down the road, Amy, Cream and Espio all recognized the blue lights in the parking lot of their destination, a restaurant by the name of Rose's Diner. Police were swarming the place. 

"This can NOT be good," Amy stated.

"Judging from the amount of police there," Espio said, "it doesn't appear as though there was a robbery or any sort of theft."

"I guess I should probably stay in the car, huh?" said Cream.

"That would probably be a good idea," replied Amy as she pulled into the parking lot. A policeman immediately stopped the car and approached the driver's side door. He was a big, black dog with brown eyes.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you need to leave the premises immediately," he said in a deep voice.

"I own this restaurant," Amy said. "One of my employees called me and told me there was a problem down here. What's going on?" The big cop just looked Amy over for a second, as though he were making a mental comparison.

"You probably shouldn't go in there," he finally said, "but if you own the place, I can't rightly stop you unless you get in the way of the investigation."

"Investigating what?" Amy asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," the cop replied. Amy parked the car next to the glass door and got out, followed by Espio, who walked right past the cops without any of them being the wiser. As soon as they entered the restaurant, an almost overpowering odor overtook them both- the aroma of death. Amy nearly gagged, and Espio shuddered. As if that wasn't enough, both of them approached the booth most of the cops were standing around. There didn't seem to be any employees still in the building. A medium-sized cop, a red fox with a bushy tail, turned and tried to stop Amy from coming any closer, but she got a look at the body in the booth. It was a pink hedgehog like herself, dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Their faces even looked a little bit alike, except that the girl in the booth had a bigger nose and her eyes were a bit smaller. The worst part was, the dead hedgehog's entire torso was blown out from what seemed like a miniature explosion. Her shoulders and above were laying on the table, while her waist and below were seated firmly in the booth, just as they'd been before the fatal explosion. Her blood and chunks of her torso were splattered everywhere, staining the white walls, the windows, and the black-and-white tiled floor. Espio took careful note of the window: it had a very small hole in it, about the size of a bullet. Amy didn't have time to take note of anything. She took one look, and a wave of nausea swept over her, worse than ever before. She immediately turned away and threw up on the floor.

_This is not good, _thought Espio. _Either someone was after her, whoever she is, or they want Amy dead and made a slight mistake._

* * *

Guess who? That's right, this is your author speaking. I'm here to sum up events so far, in case you have a crappy memory or just haven't been actually reading. It stands thus: Amy hired Espio to watch over her, and that afternoon she went and picked up Cream from school. On the way to take her home, Amy got a call from the restaurant she owns, but the employee didn't say what kind of problem. Upon arriving on the scene, Amy and Espio went inside and discovered that a pink hedgehog similar in appearance to Amy had been murdered in a most messy fashion. On Tails's end, he's been stuffed in his locker. OUCH. 


	4. Reunion

**CHAPTER 4: Reunion**

"Man, what a night," said Sonic, the famous blue hedgehog whose speed could be matched by just about nothing. He opened his front door and stepped into his little apartment, closing the door behind him. He caught the leg of his jeans in the doorway again: he had just recently taken to wearing them when he decided to try something new. Extracting his pant leg with a jerk of his leg, he walked over to his couch and sat down, and sighed deeply. "What a mess. Cops everywhere, the drunk drivers seem to be out of their bars a little early... Nuts. Couldn't even come near top speed on the sidewalk." Sonic picked up the remote and turned on his TV, the channel already tuned to the news.

"Recapping our top story of the day," a reporter was saying, "an as yet unidentified pink hedgehog of about 20 was found dead in a local restaurant less than 2 hours ago..."

"WHAT!?" yelled Sonic. "A pink hedgehog!? Don't tell me... AMY!" Sonic jumped up and sped out his door again, when he realized two things: he didn't know where the restaurant was, and he'd forgotten to open his door and went right through it. He ran back to the apartment after this first revelation and looked at the TV.

"The restaurant, located at 1934 Station Lane West, just opened in recent months..." the reporter droned on. Sonic was out the door again by the time the reporter was done saying the word "west".

* * *

"I can't believe this," Amy said in a dull tone of voice. Cream sat on the wooden bench beside her, right outside the restaurant. Amy hadn't told her what she'd seen yet, and had made her promise not to go into the restaurant. Cream was more worried about why Amy was a light shade of green than anything else. Espio was surveying the scene inside through the window. So far all he could tell was, the young lady had been sitting eating a very delicious-looking soup when a bullet shot through the window, right in her side, unless she'd turned toward the window, which seemed unlikely from the way her torso was lying. She'd probably slumped forward a little bit before it exploded and blew her in two large pieces and a lot of small ones. Why so brutal, though?

"Amy, we should probably go," Cream said. "We really can't do anything here."

"Alright," Amy said after a few seconds passed. She really didn't feel up to driving at the moment, but she wasn't sure if Espio had a driver's license, not to mention that would blow his cover, and Cream was still too young yet. Suddenly, though...

"Amy!?" a familiar voice called out. Amy whipped around. There he was, in all his glory.

"Sonic!" Amy shouted as she jumped up, ran to him, and threw herself on him before he could react. She hadn't seen him for two years, so obviously she was very happy to see him. As for Sonic, he was gasping for air, and not having much success.

"AMY!" he managed to spit out. "I-CAN'T-BREATHE!"

"Oh, sorry!" She let go of him, and he backed up half a step, his back popping in six places at once. "What are you doing here? Finally come to ask me out?"

"Not exactly" Sonic replied, rubbing his back. "I saw the news about the murder and thought it might have been you. They didn't give a name, they just said it was a pink hedgehog of about 20."

"Oh," Amy replied.

"MURDER!?" cried Cream.

"Ah shoot, I didn't want her to know what had happened," Amy said(that idea: PHAILED(not a typo)).

"Sorry," Sonic said, looking at the restaurant. He then noticed the name: Rose's Diner. He made a quick connection. "Amy, this isn't YOUR restaurant, is it?"

"Actually, yeah it is," she replied. "But now that it's a crime scene, the police are more or less gonna be running the place for a while."

"Speaking of that, aren't you concerned that the murderer was after you and just messed up?" Sonic asked her.

"I've got that covered," was his reply. It came from near the window, but Sonic couldn't see who had said it.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"That's Espio," Amy told him. "I've hired him to watch my back, since I suspected someone was following me."

"Oh," was all Sonic could think of to say. At least, that was all he could think of until he had another question hit him. "How'd you get the money to pay for this place, anyway? I remember you were always a bit well off, but there's a fine line between getting by comfortably and being able to buy a building and totally renovate it."

"Actually, I bought the land and hired a contractor to build it," Amy replied proudly. "As for how I actually got the money..."

**::FLASHBACK::**

"Hey Rouge, what're you doing?" asked Amy, only 16 at the time.

Rouge, a white bat of 21 wearing a purple T-shirt, stretch-waist pants, and white high-heeled shoes, looked up from her laptop, which was plugged in to a phone jack in the wall. "I'm trying to hack Eggman's files and find his account numbers. Then I'm gonna raid his accounts!"

"Is that legal?" asked Amy.

"Probably not," Rouge answered, "but the guy's an asshole. No one's gonna care. Wanna look for the account files for me after I hack his system? I'll share the wealth."

"Okay," Amy replied. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Rouge was getting up and letting Amy use the laptop to search for the account numbers.

"I've been at this for nearly 16 hours, I could use some shut-eye," Rouge said with a big yawn.

"Okay, knock yourself out," Amy said, beginning to systematically check the files one by one.

"If you find them before I wake up, write them down and leave them beside my bed," Rouge said as she walked off toward her room, "and I'll get to raiding the accounts when I get up."

"Okay Rouge," Amy said over her shoulder.

**::END FLASHBACK::**

"Whoa, Amy, you HACKED Eggman's accounts!?" Sonic was stunned. He had never thought Amy to be capable of it.

"No, I just found the account numbers," Amy said. "Rouge hacked the accounts. She found hundreds of thousands of credits in those things. True to her word, she shared the wealth. Those 10 hours of my life had to have been some of the best I've ever thrown away."

"Wow," said Cream. "I never would have thought it..."

"That's actually the reason we suddenly stopped running into each other," Amy said to Sonic. "I got busy investing it all, and totally forgot I was supposed to be out chasing you around all day. But, on the bright side," she pointed to the diner over her shoulder, "now the place's thriving. I'm actually thinking about opening another one."

"Cool," Sonic said.

"Sonic, why would you always run away as soon as you saw me?" Amy suddenly asked.

"Mostly because I expected you to nearly crush my back in one of those vicegrip hugs," Sonic said, "then ask me to either go out with you or marry you. Usually the latter."

"Oh," Amy said. "Well, could we maybe wipe the slate clean and start over?"

"Um... I guess so," Sonic said, expecting another marriage proposal to follow.

"Okay. So, you busy tomorrow night?"

"Not really..."

"Wanna go grab something to eat, say around 7:00?"

"I guess so..."

By this time, Cream was back in the car playing with Cheese and Chocola, the two Chao who'd joined her after school. Espio had finished surveying the crime scene and was in the back seat waiting for Amy to get done and take Cream home.

* * *

Well, there it is. Things are starting to take shape now, aren't they? Sonic's finally showed up, the likely explanation for exactly how the murder took place has been laid out, this chapter seems a bit longer than the others, Amy's FINALLY gotten him to say yes to a date... Wow, she keeps this up and she might even get him to marry her. Oh, and you Tails fans, don't worry, he's not outta the story. Just outta the picture for the moment(I'm referring to one of the reviews I got. The reviewer shall remain anonymous because I'm in a good mood(my favorite song just came on the radio.).). So far I'm getting good reviews, which suggests that I might not need to be so humble about my writing skills when I apply for college. SWEET! And I'd like to address one more thing. I said I'd do a chapter a week, but screw that. This crap's FUN! I'll do them as often as I feel like doing 'em, and I LOVE seeing my stuff take shape! 


	5. Red, White, and Black

**CHAPTER 5: Red, White, and Black**

_Ha ha! _thought Rouge, the white-headed bat of 23. _I've finally found it! Now, just as long as that annoying echidna doesn't show up... _Rouge dropped down out of a tree near a large stone building on Angel Island. She knew what was inside: the Master Emerald, which she'd been trying to find for years. She'd finally found it, alright, in the dead of the night. She wore all black: a tight shirt, pants, boots, gloves and a black toboggan on her head, pulled down over her face and with two holes cut out for her eyes. Besides just around her eyes, the only skin showing on her body was her dark wings, which blended in just as well as the rest of her in the middle of the night. As she hit the ground, Rouge quickly stood up and moved into another shadow nearby, knowing full well that her adversary was in the area, probably watching for her. She saw nothing else around her in all the darkness, so she dashed quickly and quietly for the large building. There was only a staircase and a large doorway between her and the Master Emerald. Forsaking the wide-open staircase, Rouge ran off to the side of it, into the corner of the staircase and the wall adjacent to it. Another look around revealed nothing. Quick as a flash, the white bat was jumping up, kicking off the side of the staircase and the wall, using her wings for extra power. As soon as she was at the top, Rouge ducked into the doorway and pressed herself to the wall just inside and off to the right side. The room was large, and wide open. The large Emerald was in the center, on an iron stand. It gave off a soft green light, which illuminated a medium-sized area around it. All was still clear. It occurred to Rouge that she had no way to move the huge Master Emerald, but she'd come this far, so why not at least touch it? She made an all-out dash for the center of the room. Thirty feet... _Almost there!_ Twenty feet... _No sign of him yet!_ Ten feet... _Just a little more!_ Just five feet from the Emerald, a red figure Rouge's size dropped down out of nowhere and landed on her back. Rouge wasn't hurt, but she knew she was screwed.

"Finally found it, eh?" Knuckles, the red echidna whose job it was to guard the Master Emerald, said in a sort of hostile tone. Like Rouge, he was wearing all black, except his face was visible and his gloves were white. He'd been hanging from the ceiling using his spiked knuckles, knowing Rouge was coming. The rest of what he did to stop her is fairly obvious.

"Great," Rouge said sarcastically, though a bit strained, being that she had a bunch of weight on her back. "Yeah, I found it, and I nearly got to touch it."

"Wrong," said Knuckles, grinning widely. "I knew you were here the whole time, I just wanted to let you THINK you had it won."

"Gee, isn't THAT sporting of you?" Rouge grabbed the top of her toboggan with one hand and jerked it off. The cool air blowing across her face felt great, but that wasn't her main concern just yet. "Can you get off me now?"

"Nope." Knuckles pulled out a small black bottle, and pulled off the top. What it contained, Rouge wasn't sure, but she knew she was about to find out. "First I gotta make sure you aren't trying anything." Knuckles knelt down and held the bottle under Rouge's nose, while she tried not to inhale any of it. However, after about 10 seconds, she caught a whiff of it, and she immediately began to feel drowsy. Another sniff, and she passed out. Knuckles the put the lid back on the bottle, stepped off Rouge's back, gently rolled her over with one foot, and looked down at her. "I never realized this, but DAMN, she's cute. She's caused me a lot of trouble, though. Need to get her out of here before that stuff wears off." He bent down, lifted Rouge up, and set off to get her off the island.

* * *

Hours later, Rouge woke up in the back of a cab, in the middle of Station Square. She shook her head, looked around, and tried to figure out what had happened. What had she been doing the whole night? The details were very fuzzy to her, and only seemed to be getting fuzzier.

"Hey, where is this?" she asked the cabbie. He looked over his shoulder.

"You're in the back of my cab, Miss," he replied. "Been sleeping pretty heavy, too." Rouge could make out a few of his features even with her blurred vision. He seemed to be a white bobcat with a black nose, but that was about all she could tell. "So, where to? The guy who flagged me down told me you'd tell me where to head when you woke up."

"Uh, Station Square apartment complex, willya?" she requested.

"You got it," said the cabbie. "The other guy paid me a bit in advance to drive around until you woke up, so you won't owe me for the hours before now."

"Good," Rouge said, yawning widely. "I don't have a lot of cash on hand anyway. Speaking of which, how long have I been in here?"

"About 4 hours."

* * *

After paying the cabbie, Rouge stepped into her apartment. She lived in the same complex as Sonic and Tails, but she didn't see a lot of them. She stepped into her almost unfurnished living room and threw herself on the couch, the only piece of furniture in the room. She had just slept a while, but she felt like she hadn't slept in days. Her slightly dusty laptop lay on the floor beside the couch, completely unhooked: she hadn't used it for weeks. As soon as she was comfortable, Rouge drifted off to sleep, not knowing she was being watched. As soon as she was out cold, the figure watching from outside moved away from the window and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Well, bit of an interesting one, wasn't it? Rouge finds her treasure at last, only to have her memory of it wiped out by two whiffs of some weird shit in a very small bottle. That's GOT to suck. I'll see about having the next chapter up tomorrow or the day after. Also, I gotta apologize about not replying to any reviews. I'd LIKE to, but I don't know how to go about it. Maybe I need to find out, huh? Anyway, thanks to everyone who's submitted them so far. I'm glad y'all are enjoying the story. 


	6. Crime & Severe Punishment

**CHAPTER 6: Crime and Punishment... Severe Punishment**

Humming to himself, and not knowing that he was fixing to have his good mood ruined, the large alligator Shaw walked down the school hall toward his classroom at 5:00 in the morning. He was wearing a grean shirt again today, except this time it was a muscle shirt. His brown leather belt, which some students called the Peacebreaker(due to the screams it tended to cause), was still around his waist. As he passed the locker Tails was stuffed in, the little fox, who was sleeping VERY lightly due to his extreme discomfort, heard the humming, woke up, and began making a racket, banging on the locker door and yelling.

"HUH!?" Shaw turned and looked toward the lockers as soon as Tails began banging on it.

"HEY! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I'M STUCK IN MY LOCKER!" Tails was shouting as loud as he could.

"Alright, calm down! Cool your jets!" Shaw located the locker fairly quickly: the door was rattling something awful. "What's your combination son? I'll open it for you."

"It's 32, 5, 27," Tails said. He was so relieved he'd be able to get out of there, he hadn't even realized who was getting him out. When the locker opened, he had to squint: the light hurt his eyes. "SHAW!"

"Tails, what happened to you? WHAT in God's name are you doing in your locker?" Shaw demanded.

"Clyde stuffed me in here yesterday after last period," Tails said bitterly. He sat down on the floor and took off his shoes: his feet were extremely sore, and he had a blister the size of a bottle cap on one heel.

"Clyde? You mean that guy who was sitting behind you in first period yesterday?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Well, he's gonna rue the day, I guarantee that. You need a ride home or anything?"

"I'm okay, just a little hungry is all, besides my feet hurting. I wanna try to last out the day."

"Well, you've sure got some guts." Shaw had one eyebrow raised. "Alright, tell you what. I'll write your gym teacher a note to let you sit it out the next couple days, because I know you are NOT going to be able to do much with your feet in that kind of state. Don't push it too hard, alright?"

"Okay... What are you doing here this early, anyway?" Tails looked out the window and saw the sun wasn't even up yet.

"I always come early. I haven't gotten a full night's sleep for years. Since I don't have anything better to do with my extra time, I come in early and get things running for the other teachers."

"Oh."

"I'd suggest you get some sleep before school starts. There is no way you could've slept well in that locker."

"Nope." Tails yawned widely.

* * *

First period. Shaw's history class. Clyde's death sentence(not literally). As soon as the bell rang, Shaw walked in the door, pointed at Clyde(who was sitting behind Tails again), then gave the "come here" sign with his index finger without a word. Clyde got up and walked out into the hall with him, nervously. He knew what was coming. As soon as he was out in the hall, Shaw closed the door and turned on him. 

"You'd never, in a thousand years, believe what I found this morning, Clyde," Shaw stated.

"And what would that be?" Clyde asked nervously.

"I was walking through that hall, right over there," Shaw pointed at the hall Tails's locker was on, "when lo and behold! A locker starts rattling and I hear shouts coming out of it. I open it up, and Tails comes out. I ask how he got in there, he says 'Clyde did it'. Why would you do that?"

"I-I didn't," Clyde stammered.

"Then who did?" Shaw asked, knowing what was coming next.

"Uh..." was all Clyde could say.

"That's what I thought. Don't move." Shaw stepped back into the classroom, opened a cabinet next to the door, and pulled out a paddle made of very dark-colored wood. A couple kids knew that this wood was very tough, very hard, very difficult to break: PERFECT for annihilating someone. Everyone knew Clyde was done for. Shaw stepped back out into the hall and closed the door. Seconds later, everyone in the school heard screaming coming from that hall that sounded like someone about to be devoured by a Great White.

"Oh, DAMN!" exclaimed a medium-sized ferret in the back. "He's a dead man!"

"Holy GEEZ..." said another kid, a white mouse. A girl in the back put her hands together, bowed her head, and prayed silently for God to take mercy on Clyde's poor excuse for a soul. Out in the hall, every teacher on the hall opened their doors slightly and stuck their heads out slowly to see who was being murdered. A couple seconds of looking, and each teacher slowly pulled their heads in and closed their doors. During the five or six seconds all this was occurring, Shaw was pulling back for the second swing. The whole hall heard the second impact, the entire school heard a high-pitched scream like you'd expect from a girl, and the hall heard Shaw telling Clyde to stand up so he could finish up.

"My God, WHAT did I do to Clyde when I told Shaw he did it?" Tails wondered out loud. A third wham, a third scream(this time like someone halfway through being strangled), and the sound of wood breaking and clattering to the floor signaled the end of Clyde's punishment, and probably the last feeling he'd have in his ass until at least the end of the day. At the sound of the third scream, Tails reached his hands up, covered his ears as best as he could, and put his head down on his desk. Shaw then opened the door, walked in, grabbed a broom, went back outside, and swept up the remains of the paddle. Tails opened his eyes and saw that it was in about six or seven pieces on the dustpan.

"And THAT," Shaw said casually, "is why we only put our books in our lockers, NOT our fellow students, CLYDE." Clyde somehow managed to drag himself back to his seat and sat down. He didn't flinch from pain when he did, but he knew good and well he'd be feeling it much later on. He sniffled loudly, and seemed to be fighting for all he was worth not to start crying. "Now that we have that out of the way, I need to issue books."

* * *

And now we have seen the badassness of Shaw, the insanely strong history teacher who has no reservations about beating the living shit out of someone when they cross the line too far. This is the truly amazing part: all those teachers were that reluctant to stick their heads out their doors to see what was going on, and they were all used to Shaw doing this. Ah well, what can I say? What is a high school without a badassed teacher who can keep the entire school in line just by giving one kid licks and letting his screams of agony carry all the way across the school? Oh, and Tails fans rejoice, Clyde got his in the end after all... in more ways than one, heh heh heh. But don't think it's over, not by a long shot. 


	7. What A Day

**CHAPTER 7: What A Day...**

Tails sighed as he walked through the door of his apartment at 3:00 in the afternoon, which was just a few doors down from Sonic's. The way this was arranged was, Tails would have his own place, but until he was 18, it would be in Sonic's name, and Sonic would be paying for it(Tails was secretly keeping track of how much Sonic had paid and planned to pay him back one day). He threw down his bookbag, not having put it in his locker, then he threw himself down on the couch, flat on his back. He didn't plan on opening the very cramped metal box for a LONG time after spending the previous night in it. He had actually considered asking a teacher to watch him while he was at his locker so no one shoved him in it, but he didn't want to bother them with that.

"What a day," Tails murmured. "Feet are still killing me... Least I didn't have to run those laps in gym today. I should probably give Sonic a call-" No sooner than he'd spit that out did Tails hear a knock at his door. "Come on in, it's open!" In walked Sonic.

"Tails, where have you been?" Sonic asked. "I tried calling a bunch of times last night after I saw Amy, but you didn't pick up!"

"I wasn't home, I had to spend the night in my locker," Tails replied without looking up.

"WHAT!?" Sonic yelled. "Who did it!?"

"Don't worry about that," Tails replied with a grim smile. "Shaw took care of that already. He's my history teacher, and I swear to God, if I EVER heard a guy scream THAT loud while getting licks, I'll give up working on machines and get a job as a parking valet at some fancy restaurant."

"Whoa, he beat the kid's ass THAT hard?" Sonic was in awe.

"Yeah. Surprises me that the school lets him do it. He's a monster in terms of strength. He's also the one who got me out of my locker. I'm not going near it again for a while." Tails pointed at his bag. "Needless to say, I'll need to figure out a way of remembering to take my bookbag with me every morning. I also need some ice for my feet." He kicked off his shoes with a bit of difficulty: a few more blisters had popped up during the day.

"Damn!" Sonic's jaw hit the floor and stayed there. Whether Tails was serious about the ice, Sonic didn't care. He walked into the kitchen, pulled open the freezer, dumped some ice in a bag, and tossed it to Tails.

"Thanks." Tails tossed the bag to the end of the couch and put his aching feet on it. He knew he'd have trouble walking if they were numb, but he could fly. Besides, he was having trouble walking even with feeling in them.

"So how was yesterday, besides being shoved in your locker?" Sonic asked.

"It was pretty good," Tails replied. "Met my teachers, learned not to cross Shaw by watching someone eat belt, had pizza for lunch, the usual first day type of stuff."

"Cool," Sonic said casually. "So, what about today?"

"Well, Shaw of course annihilated Clyde, the guy who shoved me in my locker," Tails began, "and I got excused from gym because of my feet. Good thing too, we were supposed to run laps today. We had corn dogs for lunch, we got our books issued, and our science teacher had us do a book scavenger hunt. Y'know, where she gives us a list of questions, and we hunt down the answers in the book. Anyway, how was YOUR day?"

"Ah, nothing major," Sonic replied. "I ran into Amy last night. Been a while since we've seen her, huh?"

"Yeah," Tails closed his eyes. "Since she was 16, right?"

"Yeah. Well, I found out what she's been doing all this time. She owns a restaurant."

"REALLY?"

"Yeah. She said she got the money by helping Rouge hack Eggman's accounts before he bought the farm. I only found out because someone who looked kinda like her was murdered in the restaurant yesterday."

"Whoa, what!?" Tails sat up a bit and opened his eyes. "Murdered!?"

"Yeah. They don't know who or why, but they think it was because someone was after Amy and screwed up. It was a serious mess down there. Trust me, don't go check it out."

"I'm not worried about that as much as I'm worried about whether it's a good idea to leave Amy alone."

"She's got someone keeping an eye on her. She hired someone from that place... Chaotix Detective Agency, or something like that."

"Oh, okay..."

"Anyway, she kinda caught me off guard. She asked if we could wipe the slate clean after all the marriage proposals and death hugs. After I said yeah, she roped me into a date for tonight..."

"I never would have thought she'd actually do it." Tails grinned, laid back on the couch, and closed his eyes again: he had a little bit of a headache besides his feet hurting.

"Well, I had actually planned to start treating her less as an annoyance once she stopped trying to crush me to death and asking me to marry her. Including dating her if she asked nicely enough. I may not show it, but I kinda like her."

"Well, sounds like you've got yourself a heck of a night ahead of you, huh?"

"Yeah. We're gonna go out and have dinner somewhere."

"Ha!" Tails shook his head, slightly amused, without opening his eyes. "That's ironic!"

"What is?"

"You're fixing to take the owner of a restaurant out to eat at one of her competitors' places." Another short laugh.

"Oh. Yeah, that IS pretty ironic, huh? Anyway, I just wanted to know where you'd been last night, so I'll head back to my place."

"Alright. I'll see you later. Lemme know how your date goes."

"I might. MAYBE." Sonic cracked a grin and stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

_Yeah, maybe,_ Tails thought. _But I bet you conveniently forget to tell me if she's a good kisser and what she tastes like, and you KNOW she's gonna plant one on you._

Across the way, a dark figure lowered a pair of binoculars and stepped away from the dark window.

* * *

Ooh, dark figure with a pair of binoculars. Wondering who/what it is, and what it wants? Well, are you? You'll find out eventually. I already know, but I ain't gonna tell just yet, heh heh heh. R&R as usual, please. Thanks in advance. 


	8. First Date

**CHAPTER 8: First Date**

"What do you think?" Amy asked Espio, who was clinging to the ceiling, still invisible. In one hand off to her side she held a black silk dress, and in her other, held in front of her, was a red one, also silk. Behind her was a closet full of other outfits for various occasions.

"I think you should decide for yourself," Espio replied shortly. "After all it is YOUR date."

"I just want your opinion," Amy said. "If you don't want to say anything, don't."

"If you insist..." Espio grunted. "The red one. It matches your quills."

"That's what I thought too," Amy said, turning to the mirror beside her. The dress had spaghetti straps on the shoulders, and the top of it began a few inches above her breasts: she'd have a good bit of her chest exposed with it, and she had seen on TV that it was expected to get a little cool that night. The bottom part of the dress flowed down to about where her ankles were, with a slit up the right side up to a little above her knee. As for the back, there really wasn't one above the waist.

"Or you could do it the macabre way," Espio suddenly said, "and flip a coin."

"Nah, I'd probably end up picking the one I was leaning away from," Amy replied without turning away from the mirror. "I think I'll just go with this one."

_Like I thought, she picks that one anyway, _Espio thought. Amy set the red dress down on her bed, then she took the black one and hung it back up in her closet.

"Alright, out you get," she said when she turned around. "I gotta get changed." Espio left the room and closed the door behind him

* * *

At last, 7:00 rolled around. Sonic was prompt enough: he got there at 7:01. As he knocked on Amy's door, he couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to get roped into this. He took a look around while he waited. Amy's house was modest enough for a business owner: it was a small, wooden, white-painted place in a small neighborhood. It had no garage and a short driveway with her Corvette parked in it. There was no doorbell or even one of those really crappy metal knocking things on the oak door, also painted white. The lawn was well-kept, though: the crass was green, cut to about two inches long, and no weeds. The was devoid of trees, though. There was also a garden off to the right side of the small porch: pansies were growing in the front, waxy-looking monkeygrass in the middle, and tall green cannas in the back, right in front of the window. In among these plants, several tulips were sticking up with yllow blooms. There was also a fern hanging in a small, green, plastic pot a few feet above Sonic's head and to his right. All of these were well-kept as well. The pansies and monkeygrass covered almost the entire ground they grew in, and the cannas had to be at least eight feet tall with orange blooms at the tops. The fern had been trimmed recently, so it wasn't very large.

_Wow,_ Sonic thought, _she's pretty good with plants. I wouldn't be surprised if she got some kind of award for having a good-looking lawn._ Before he realized it, Amy was at the door.

"Hi Sonic!" she greeted. "I see you like my garden." Sonic took a look at her. He couldn't help thinking she looked beautiful in her attire: the red dress, no gloves or bracelets, red high heels, and a red headband(lotsa red, huh?).

"Yeah, you did a good job with it," he heard himself say while he admired her.

"Ah, no big deal," she replied. "Just a spare-time thing." Amy took a look around: aside from hers, there wasn't a car parked out front. "You don't have a car, do you?"

"Uh, no," Sonic said, "I run everywhere. It's faster."

"Well, guess I'll have to do the driving, won't I?" Amy stated. "We COULD walk, but heels aren't very good for walking in. My feet would be killing me before long."

"I can imagine," Sonic looked down at Amy's shoes and thought, _If I had to wear those, I'd hunt down the bastard that invented them and kill him._

"Let me just grab my purse and we'll get going." Amy went back into the house for a moment, and came back with her black leather purse on her right shoulder. It strongly contrasted her clothes pretty much 24/7(except when she was naked), but if it mattered to her, she would have bought a new one LONG before then. She reached down and pulled out her keys as she walked toward the car, where Sonic was waiting.

"Well," he said, "the house is pretty modest, but the car sure isn't, is it?"

Amy shrugged and said, "Just thought I'd treat myself. It was the cheapest one on the lot, anyway." Sonic's eyes went wide as he and Amy climbed in, followed by Espio, who grabbed a spot in the back. "Seatbelts, boys!"

"Hmph," Espio grunted, pulling on the lap belt(the shoulder belt would have given him away). Sonic groaned.

"Does he HAVE to come along?" he asked.

"I hate to say it, but yeah, he does," Amy told him. "I probably won't be watching over my shoulder, and I'm sure you'll be just as preoccupied. If someone IS following me-"

"He wouldn't try to do anything with me around!" Sonic cut in.

"The hole in the window at the diner was the size of a bullet," Espio said. "So either he was really small, or he shot her from afar. If he'd been up close, he would have been seen."

"Exactly," Amy said.

"Alright, fine..." Sonic sighed. Amy started the engine and pulled out onto the road.

* * *

An hour later, Amy and Sonic were taking a little stroll in the park under the stars, both of them pretty full from dinner.

"Wow," Amy said contently. "No wonder those guys stay in business. The place is small, but they've got awesome pie."

"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "I'll bet they serve a lot of it, too."

"Probably." Little did either of them realize, a red dot had just appeared on the back of Amy's head. A figure in a tree about 100 feet behind them began to squeeze the trigger. Just before the figure fired, Amy stumbled on a rock, which was probably the luckiest thing that ever happened to her. The bullet flew right over her head and into the ground twenty feet ahead.

"WHAT THE!?" Sonic grabbed Amy's hand and ran behind a tree, which turned out to be the only tree nearby.

"What was that!?" Amy's heart was going a mile a minute.

"I think the killer's back!" Sonic peered around the edge of the tree, but jerked his head back when a chunk of the trunk was blown off by another shot. Frustrated, the figure in the tree 100 feet from them jumped down with a metallic thud. Espio, who hadn't moved yet, couldn't tell much about the figure, since it shot out the lights before it started forward. He COULD tell, though, that the gun was mounted to its arm, so disarming it would be difficult, if even possible. As the figure neared the tree Sonic and Amy were hiding behind, it lowered the arm with the gun mounted to it and raised its other. Espio's suspicions about its identity were confirmed when its hand was drawn back into its arm and replaced with the end of a flamethrower: it was a robot.

"CRUSH KILL DEMOLISH!" said a loud, mechanical voice. The flamethrower ignited and began spewing flames, engulfing the tree when the robot was within fifty feet.

"That sounds like one of Eggman's robots!" Amy exclaimed. "But I thought he died!"

"He did!" Sonic replied. "Alright, look, you run and don't look back. I'll deal with the robot, okay?"

"But Sonic-" Amy tried to argue, but a burst of flame from the side of the tree silenced her. The robot was closing in, so they had to act fast: if its aim was halfway decent, it could shoot her easily unless something distracted it, due to the lack of trees. At point-blank range, it was a sure thing.

"On three, start running. One, two-" a loud electric crackle made him stop. Sonic took a look around the side of the tree, in case the robot had a taser or something. To his surprise, the robot was engulfed in electricity. Within seconds, it exploded everywhere. Amy and Sonic came out from behind the tree cautiously.

"What just happened?" Sonic spat out.

"I took down a power line near one of the lights," Espio's voice said, "and the line hit the robot. The lights were out, but not the power."

"Oh," was all Sonic could manage to say. He was still a little shaken: while he was used to robot attacks, this one had seemed just a little too smart to be your run-of-the-mill robot.

"Any idea who could have sent it?" Amy had finally found her voice again.

"No." Espio kicked the robot. "It's got some high-quality armor on it. Whoever sent it was anticipating a fight, and apparently knew that shields could be blown off. What they didn't count on was a good electric shock."

"Will it be able to reactivate?" Amy asked.

"I doubt it," Espio replied, "but I'm no expert on machines."

"Maybe Tails could find out some stuff about it," Sonic said.

"Well, we'll be needing the car in that case," Amy stated.

"Espio," Sonic looked toward where Espio's voice had come from, "sorry about what I said earlier."

* * *

Well, first date- RUINED. Amy nearly has her head blown off with Sonic two feet away, and Espio manages to take out the attacking robot. But why Amy? Who sent it? Will Tails be able to find anything out? Maybe, maybe not. We'll find out later, won't we? R&R please. 


	9. Investigation

**CHAPTER 9: Investigation**

"Any answer yet?" Amy called back to Espio as she drove, still slightly shaken from nearly being shot and burned.

"No. It's ringing but there's no answer." Espio said as he hung up Amy's cell phone. "Vector usually sits by the phone until closing time, unless we got another call, so odds are we won't be able to reach him for a while."

"Well that's great!" Amy shook her head. "We need him to do something and he's not around when we need him. Wonder what he could be doing."

"Either a staring contest, or Vector's trying to persuade Charmy to enroll in school and Charmy's raising hell over it," Espio grunted. "Or they got a case, like I said."

* * *

Vector and Charmy were sitting, noses almost touching, staring right into each others' eyes. The phone was ringing off the hook beside them, but neither one made a move to get it for fear of losing the staring contest.

* * *

Espio hung up. Amy said, "We'll stop by once we leave this thing with Tails. Hope he can find out who it came from." 

"Is he supposed to be some kind of technological genius or something?" Espio asked.

"You kidding me!?" Sonic burst out. "He's probably better than Eggman was!"

"I'll take your word for it," was all Espio said.

* * *

"I'm coming!" Tails yelled out as he heard a knock on his front door. Then he added, quietly, "I'll probably never manage to get that comfortable again, now." He pulled open the door: it was Sonic. 

"Tails," he said, "we need your help. Amy and I just nearly got our heads blown off by this robot. We managed to take it down, and stuffed it in her trunk. We need you to check it out and see if you know who sent it. It looks like Eggman's design, but..."

"You've got to be kidding," Tails said. He walked out to the car where Amy was standing with the trunk open. His feet weren't hurting as bad, but he was still feeling every step. "Let me get a look here." He took a look in the trunk. The robot was taller than the trunk was long, so they'd apparently had to shove as much of it in there as possible and tie the rest down. It was covered in shiny black armor. It looked like it might have already been a dark color before it was fried by the power line, though. The arm with the flamethrower was blown off: no one had heard it over the crackling, but the volatile substance inside had exploded in the shock. The arm with the automatic sniper rifle on it was intact, but not much better off than the other arm, as the ammo had exploded as well. The robot's rounded head was small compared to the rest of its body, and its torso was large and also rounded off. Its legs were about one foot in diameter, with no remarkable features, besides being fried.

"It attacked us in the park," Amy said. "If I hadn't nearly tripped on something, I would probably be in a body bag right now."

"You got lucky," Tails said while he looked over the robot. "You did a number on this guy too. What'd you do, shock him?"

"Yeah," Amy replied. "And everything I ever heard about not sticking my fingers in electrical outlets came flooding back to me, too."

"Looks more like a power line," Tails observed. "I'll be able to find out more if I can get this thing inside." Tails, Sonic, Amy, and Espio(invisible) all grabbed ahold of the robot and lifted it out of the trunk, then began dragging it to Tails's apartment. Once they got it inside, Sonic closed the door and Tails sat down on the floor next to it and started looking it over.

"What're you doing now?" Sonic asked.

"Looking for some kind of emblem or anything," Tails replied. "In case the person who built this wanted everyone to know who was behind it. Anonymity is good if you're worried about police, but someone apparently isn't. This robot doesn't look like it can move very fast, and this gun here doesn't look very good for prolonged fights. Did it only have one arm?"

"No," Sonic replied, "it had a flamethrower on the other arm. I guess that blew off or something."

"Must've happened when you zapped it," Tails said thoughtfully. "Well, that proves my point. Heavier weapons would probably have been better suited for a shootout with police. Whoever sent this wasn't worried about them." Upon looking over the rest of the robot, Tails frowned: no emblem or anything.

"Maybe all the burn marks are covering it up," Amy suggested.

"Maybe," Tails said. He went out into the kitchen and grabbed a rag off the counter, then returned to the robot and began giving it a once-over with the rag. He'd just started on the chest when he noticed a dark blue line that wouldn't come off. He cleaned off the robot's torso as best as he could, and uncovered an emblem that covered the machine's chest area: a skull.

"Well," Sonic said, "I guess it's safe to say that's what you were looking for."

"The emblem fits, that's for sure," Amy said. "Thing nearly blew my head off."

"I'll see if I can't pull a few of its memory chips and find out who sent it and why," Tails said. "But odds are, they'll be fried too. It'll take some time, so you'll probably have to come back tomorrow."

"I need to use your phone" Espio's voice rang out. Tails about hit the ceiling.

"Who was that!?" His head darted around the room, looking for the person who said that.

"My guardian angel, let's just say," Amy said to him.

"Oh," Tails sighed with relief. "Yeah, go ahead, it's over there." He pointed to a cruddy brown phone. It HAD been white, but the crud had turned it brown. Espio walked over, picked it up, and dialed his office's number. After just half a ring, Charmy's excited voice came over the line.

"Thank you for calling Chaotix-" was all he managed to spit out before there was a struggle on the other end and Vector's voice replaced his with loud sobbing in the background.

He began to say, "Thank you for calling Chaotix-"

"I know the rest Vector," Espio said, slightly impatient. "Look, I need you to find as much info as you can about Dr. Eggman. I know he's dead, but I need to know if he had any family."

"Alright, I'm on it," Vector's voice said. "Mind telling me why?"

"Our client was attacked in the park earlier by a robot similar in design to the ones Eggman used," Espio replied. "Why, I have yet to figure out."

"Is she okay?" Vector asked.

"A little shaken, but otherwise fine," was Espio's reply. "Now, get on it. And tell Charmy that if I come back and he's touched any of my throwing weapons, he's going to pay."

"He already touched one," Vector said before he hung up.

"He dies at dawn," Espio growled as he hung up the phone.

"I take it you got ahold of them this time," Amy observed.

"They're working on it," Espio said. Amy looked at the clock and her eyes went slightly wider than a second before.

"Wow, THAT late already!" she exclaimed. "I need to get home pretty soon."

"I'll go with you," Sonic said. "Just in case."

"Okay," Amy giggled slightly. "See you later Tails."

"See you," Tails said absentmindedly: he had a screwdriver in his hand and was removing screws from what appeared to be a plate on the robot's back.

_Wow, he IS good,_ Espio thought. He reached the door first and pulled it open, then walked out, followed by Sonic and Amy. Just as they reached the car, a loud explosion came from the inside of the apartment. Sonic and Amy rushed back inside before Espio even figured out what he'd heard. Inside, Tails was sitting up five feet away from the robot, coughing. A huge cloud of black smoke came from the destroyed robot.

"What happened!?" Amy demanded.

"Looks like they were ready in case you guys thought of me," Tails stated, coughing afterward. His fur was slightly singed from the explosion. "I think the guy who made this put some charges inside it in case someone tried to tamper with it."

"Are you alright?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Tails climbed to his feet and sat down on the couch a few feet away. "Just a little shaken. I was NOT expecting that." All three of them looked at the robot's remains: a huge hole was blown in its back, its head was gone, and the screwdriver fell down from above and nearly hit Amy: it had been blown into the ceiling in the blast. "I was lucky though. If I hadn't been blown away, the screwdriver could've found itself lodged in my skull rather than my ceiling." He shuddered at the thought.

"But you ARE okay?" Sonic repeated.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Tails shrugged. "Nothing a shower and a decent night's sleep won't fix."

"Speaking of which," Amy cut in, "I've got to get home and get to bed pretty soon. I've got to go in and start sorting things out at work."

"Go on ahead and don't worry about me," Tails said. "I'm fine, really. It just startled me and tossed me a few feet, is all."

"Well-" Sonic began to say, but changed his mind. "Alright, we'll see you later. Again." This time Sonic and Amy actually got outside and in the car before they heard anything.

"So, what happened?" Espio's voice asked.

"The robot went up in smoke," Sonic said. "Tails is okay though."

"Good," Espio said. "If my hunch is right, there'll be a lot more where those came from." Sonic and Amy exchanged horrified glances when they realized just how right Espio could be. Across the way, looking out a dark window, was another figure.

"Number 34 has failed. I must inform Boss."

* * *

"Finally home," Amy said as she cut off the engine. "What a night." 

"Can't say it wasn't interesting," Sonic said. "I WOULD say it was fun, but being attacked by an assassin robot and having it nearly blow my friend's screwdriver through his head kinda ruins it every time."

"No kidding," Amy agreed. "I would've liked our first date to go over without a problem."

_Our FIRST date?_ Sonic thought. _Well... I guess other than the robot attack, it was a pretty good evening overall._

"Hopefully Vector will have some information for us sometime tomorrow," Espio cut in. "Unless he's fighting with Charmy again."

* * *

"I said go to BED, Charmy!" Vector said in a somewhat louder voice than he'd normally use. 

"NO!" Charmy shouted back. "YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!"

* * *

Sonic got out of the car first, followed by Amy, then Espio, and then all three of them made for the front door. 

"Maybe we can try going out again once we've dealt with whoever sent the robot," Sonic said on the way there.

"Sounds good," Amy said with a slight smile which quickly faded. "But we have to be sure it IS only one person, and not several."

"I don't even want to think about THAT," Sonic said, losing his normally cool manner. "I'm used to dealing with Eggman's robots, but that one was just too smart and too well-armed. Whoever built it is certainly no moron."

"Well, we'll worry about that later," Amy said. "Right now we have other things to worry about, or at least I do. I knew running a business would be a bit tough when I got into it, but I never counted on murder..." Her voice trailed off as the murder came back to mind.

"It wasn't your fault," Sonic said after a few seconds passed. "Only advice I can offer about it is, let the police do their thing, and don't get in their way."

"Right," Amy said absentmindedly.

"Once we figure out who sent the robot, we can see to it the police have a turn with him," Espio said, leaning on Amy's front door.

"Yeah," Amy said to him, then she turned to Sonic. "I take it you plan to run home, right?"

"Yep," Sonic grinned. "Never needed a car. Cuts down on costs, for sure."

"I see what you mean. Good night, then."

"Good night." Sonic turned around.

"Sonic?"

"Yeah?" He turned back around, and before he realized it, Amy kissed him. His first instinct was to try to push her off, but he didn't. Instead, something else inside took over, and he actually kissed her back. At that instant, he knew that this wouldn't be the last time he kissed her. The kiss lasted about five seconds, then Amy backed off about half a step. Both of them were at a loss for words, but both of them knew the other was thinking the same thing. After a few seconds, they both said good night again, then went their separate ways.

* * *

Wow, this one was a little long. Lotta dialogue too. Anyway, what a chapter. Here's a recap: Sonic and Amy had their first date, which got ruined by a robot attack from someone who put a skull emblem on the robot. The two of them, along with Espio, take to robot to Tails for him to check out. While at Tails's place, Espio calls Vector and tells him to start researching Eggman, even though the crazy asshole's dead. Upon almost leaving, Sonic and Amy wind up back in the apartment after the robot's failsafe explosive kicks in and nearly blows a screwdriver through Tails's head(ever hear of Phineas Gage?). That would've sucked, but he lucked out and it missed. After Tails tells them not to worry about him, they leave the complex so Amy can go home and get some sleep. Outside her front door, she and Sonic shared themselves a 5-second kiss(yummy). But who's that dark figure seemingly watching Tails? Why didn't Rouge hear any of this, since she lives in the same complex? Or did she even care? All will become clear when I feel like it's time. 


	10. Confessions

**CHAPTER 10: Confessions**

With a big yawn, Rouge sat up in bed wearing a pink night gown. It was only 5 a.m., but she was ready to start the day. Her plan for today was simple: find the Master Emerald and bring it home to put on display. She thought she had a good idea where it was, but she had this funny feeling she'd been there before. Why, though? She'd remember if she had, right? And what was this dream she'd had for the past two nights about a soft, green glow with a black figure in her way?

"Weird dream," she said in an indifferent voice. She gave a quick kick and was standing at the edge of her bed within two seconds, headed toward the bathroom. After having herself a quick pee, Rouge pulled open her dresser drawers and pulled out her attire for the day, at least until night fell: her clothes consisted of a pink tank top, pink sweatpants, and white sneakers. She dressed quickly and walked to the window in her bedroom. The bare windowsill, small as it was, made for a great place to sit and think late into the night. Blinking a few times to help her eyes focus a bit more, Rouge pushed open the window and jumped out, using her wings to glide silently through the air. She had two words going through her mind: Angel Island. When she'd woken up, from her odd dream, the black figure had mentioned Angel Island. She couldn't figure out why, though. She couldn't recognize the silhouette that had told her where to go, and the voice was too deep to be anyone she knew. Pushing it from her mind, she directed herself to a nearby 24-hour cafe named the All-Nighter, being a bit on the hungry side. She'd been sleeping most of the past few days; for some reason she'd been unusually tired and woke up no better off than she'd been when she dozed off. Upon her arrival at the cafe, she sat down at the bar and, when the waitress took her order, asked for bacon and eggs. It took her a few seconds to remember, she didn't even LIKE bacon and eggs. Or did she? She couldn't remember. Something had obviously screwed up her memory. She decided, as soon as they opened their offices, she'd go to a doctor. For now, nothing else to do but eat. About fifteen minutes later, the waitress came back with Rouge's food.

"There you go," she said with a smile.

"Thanks," Rouge replied. She took a few bites: no complaints, so she guessed she had liked bacon and eggs before her memory had been screwed up. She thought, _Least I didn't pick something I hate. Wonder why I can't remember anything. I hope I don't have to put off my plans for whatever it is._

* * *

Not five minutes after he opened his office, Dr. Briggs, who STRONGLY resembled Bruce Willis, heard someone walk into his office. He'd just gotten things ready to start the day, so he took a second to think that this would be a busy day before going to see who it was. He came out behind the desk to talk to the potential patient, and got a quick glimpse at her: a slightly tired-looking, white-faced bat, probably in her 20s, wearing a lot of pink. As he approached the desk, he smiled and gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

"Good morning Miss," he said in a pleasant tone. "Please, have a seat." He sat down himself as Rouge did, and Briggs spoke again. "You came in a little early, I had just finished getting things ready in the back. Do you have an appointment?"

"No, I don't," Rouge replied. "Least, I don't think I do. For some reason I can't seem to remember a lot of things. I can't remember what I was doing a few nights ago, I've been sleeping a lot since then, and this morning, I couldn't even remember if I liked bacon and eggs!"

"Hm," Dr. Briggs said as he rubbed his chin with his left hand. "Sounds like someone got to you with a bottle of Omikron 3AR5. It's a powerful inhalant that leaves the victim very tired for about a week afterward, and while the victim sleeps, he or she begins to forget things. What things he or she forgets are completely random, so the one administering it is taking a bit of a chance with it. Whatever the person wanted you to forget, he or she may have gotten unlucky and you might not have forgotten the right pieces of information, in which case another dose would have been necessary for whatever they had in mind. Problem is, repeated doses can lead to permanent memory loss and even insanity." Rouge's eyes widened slightly.

"Is there any way to reverse it?" she asked. Briggs shook his head.

"It was only developed in the past 5 years," he said grimly. "If there is a cure, it hasn't been discovered yet. The only way to reverse the effects is to wait until they pass, then learn everything you forgot all over again. But, if you can manage to stay awake until the effects pass, the damage won't be as bad. This is because the drug works most actively when the body is resting."

"Oh," Rouge said, her spirits slightly sunken. Suddenly, she had a thought. "Wait, how can you be so sure? How do you know I haven't just hit my head or something?"

"Because when you hit your head, you generally don't drift in and out of sleep and forget only selective tidbits of information," Briggs told her. "Plus, you don't have a mark on you, besides looking a little tired."

"Oh."

* * *

After thanking Briggs and leaving his office(he hadn't charged her since she just asked him a couple questions), Rouge took a cab to the local grocery store, since she didn't much feel like walking. As she climbed into the cab and mumbled the destination to the driver, she leaned her head back and closed her tired eyes. _Incredible,_ she thought. _I've been sleeping all this time and I'm still tired, and I'm steadily losing my memory to boot! Why though? Who would give me that stuff? And why?_ Not even realizing it, Rouge drifted off to sleep...

"Rouge... Rouuuuuuuuge..." a deep, misty voice called. Rouge opened her eyes, in the middle of a large stone temple. In front of her was a black figure bathed in green light from a large object behind it; Rouge recognized it as the Master Emerald. The figure held its ground as Rouge stood up.

"Who are you?" she yelled. "Why do you keep showing up in my head? And where IS this anyway!?"

"I am the one who took your memories," the figure said in its misty voice. "I'm not showing up of my own accord... Perhaps your psyche is linked with mine at a certain level deep in the subconscious. As for where this is, that is the one thing I will not reveal to you, as it is the reason I took your memory."

"Wait," Rouge had a sudden thought. "You're that echidna, aren't you!?"

"You got me," the figure said with a chuckle. It snapped its fingers and lights came on around them: it was indeed Knuckles, not wearing anything this time, since his dream self was apparently as anatomically impared as a kendall.

"Why'd you screw my memory up!?" Rouge snapped. Knuckels closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly.

"I really didn't want to," he said. "I HAD to. I'm supposed to protect the Master Emerald at all costs. You nearly reached it. I had to wipe your memory. It was a calculated risk, of course, and I was reluctant to take it."

"Why?" Rouge was puzzled slightly. She was always being a nuisance to him, so why would he be reluctant to keep her from her goal?

"Because... I like you," Knuckles managed to say. Rouge was at a loss for words for just a moment, then decided to ask something she probably should've asked a moment before.

"Wait a second, how could our psyche's be linked, if that what this is?" she demanded. Knuckles shrugged.

"Couldn't tell you," he said. "I haven't the foggiest. Could've been from being so close to the Master Emerald at the same time, could've just been coincidence. So, it doesn't shock you that I just admitted to liking you?"

"Actually it did," Rouge admitted. "I just changed the subject until I could find something to say back. I guess, aside from you totally screwing up my memory, I guess I like you too."

"Miss! Wake up!" Rouge snapped awake. The black cat who'd been driving the cab was turned around and staring at her.

"Huh, what?" Rouge was a little disoriented at first, but then she remembered where she was.

"We're here," the cabbie said. "That'll be 32 credits." Rouge paid the cabbie and got out of the cab. It took her a moment to remember what she was doing here, but then she remembered: coffee. And lots of it.

_Man, THAT dream was completely creep,. _she thought on the way across the parking lot. _Was it really a psychic connection or something?_

* * *

Okay, shorter chapter, I know. Freakish though. Lost memories, psychic links, a doctor who looks like Bruce Willis. Freakish-wait, I already said that. I admit, I had a bit of trouble thinking of what to put in this chapter. Bit weird circumstances to be admitting you like someone, huh? R&R please.


	11. Darkness, Dark Deeds, and Bullies?

**CHAPTER 11: Darkness, Dark Deeds, and- Bullies?**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, #34 FAILED!?" snarled a deep voice, bathed in shadows, sitting in a chair with a tall back. A dark robotic figure on its knees behind the figure flinched.

"Master, #34 was simply ambushed and defeated due to his poor electrical shielding," the kneeling figure said in a quivering mechanical voice. "The reports said the new armor was highly vulnerable to shocking. Did you not read them?"

"SILENCE!" the deeper voice snapped. "Of COURSE I read them you fool. What other flaws did #34 have? The only one reported was the poor shielding against shocks."

"His radar was faulty as well, and his infrared," quivered the robot on its knees. "Most of his tracking systems were riddled with bugs. I find it a wonder his eyes even worked. His failsafe device even went off late."

"Hmph," the figure bathed in darkness grunted. "Never send a prototype to do important work, regardless how efficient they are. What about the new AI? None of the fools in R&D are talking to me."

"That's because they encountered a problem," the robot on the ground stated. "None of the prototypes accept the program. We've had to implant the older AI. The only tidbit of good news have is, the new cannons are coming along nicely. One was test-fired early this morning, and-"

"Shut up!" the figure in the chair snapped again. "I was the one firing it! Of COURSE I know that! And I wasn't even asking about that either! I asked about the AI! Why aren't the prototypes accepting it!?"

"Because their CPUs are based on Eggman's design," the kneeling robot was losing his nerves. "His primitive design has too many flaws. Too low memory capacity to upload the software, for instance."

"Design a new one then," the figure in the chair said in an even more menacing tone. "If you do not have the prototypes working soon, I will have your head, Black."

"Yes Master," Black, the kneeling robot, bowed his head. "I also learned something that I wish to bring to your attention."

"What?"

"The girl #34 was after seems to be falling for the primary target. You may wish to put off killing her until she is more dear to him, then capture her and use her for leverage."

"Perhaps... Next time I want your opinion I'll give it to you. I handle the strategy. Get out."

"Yes, Master." Black stood up, bowed low, and backed out of the room.

"Hmph, I am surrounded by fools, idiots, retards, incompetents, everything under the sun."

* * *

When he arrived at school that morning, Tails had no idea what he was in for. He had cleaned himself up since the explosion the previous night, and looked no different, except his fur was shorter. As soon as he sat down in Shaw's class, a girl he didn't know leaned over to him and caught his attention. 

"Hey kid," she said, "you might wanna watch your back from now on."

"Why?" Tails asked her with an odd expression on his face.

"You remember when Clyde got those licks for stuffing you in your locker?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I heard a couple guys talking about that. Seems like some of the ballsier guys came up with a little game. The object, see who can get you worst and get away with it for the longest. You're gonna be the worst picked-on kid this school has ever seen!"

"You've GOT to be kidding me." The girl shook her head, and Tails's heart hit the floor. He was screwed. Daily locker stuffings and God knows what else crept into his mind. "I knew high school kids had some crazy ideas, but what would possess them to do this?"

"That's the wonder of a bad combination of testosterone and a few credits," the girl said in a slightly sad tone. "I hate to say it, but those guys will be able to get away with things pretty easily unless you've got someone watching you pretty much 24/7."

"Oh, this year's gonna be a bitch," Tails mumbled.

"Language, Tails." Tails looked up, and Shaw was looking right at him.

"Sorry," Tails said. Half the class busted out laughing. Shaw looked up at the whole class, who quieted down quickly enough.

"We'll have none of that," he said. "Next time I'll give the whole class an essay on how to act in class." Tails sighed in relief: Shaw apparently didn't plan to do anything other than get onto him about his language. What he heard next brightened up his day a bit. "I've heard some rumors flying around since yesterday. I'm not going to tell what they're about, but if I find out there's any truth to them, I'll be breaking more paddles that very day. I get complaints from parents a lot about it being abuse, but I can't be held accountable for it. It's not cruel or unusual punishment."

* * *

Sure enough, on his way to lunch, Tails found himself forcefully guided into a bathroom by a senior at least three times his size: the game was on. 

"Hey! Get off me!" Tails demanded.

"Just shut up," the large white tiger said to him in a commanding tone. "I've got money on this. I ain't losing out. This'll be easier on us both if you just keep your yap shut." Before Tails could reply, the tiger grabbed his muzzle and dragged him into one of the stalls. Tails knew what was coming up right then and there. Sure enough, the tiger forced his head down into the toilet and flushed it. Tails squirmed all he could, but he was powerless; the tiger was just too damn strong, even though he had NO sense of subtlety whatsoever. After another flush, he let go of Tails and walked out of the bathroom laughing. Tails stayed in the stall. He climbed up onto the toilet and pulled the door shut. After two swirlies in one breath, he was NOT showing his face again all day, never mind how hungry he was.

"It's not fair!" he heard himself cry out as tears started streaming. He often chastised himself for being a crybaby at the age of 14, but this time he thought he was entitled. Of course, he knew he'd need some excuse to give his teachers the next day for why he cut the last 3 periods of the day, but he'd worry about that when he got there.

* * *

Wow, two different perspectives this time. First we have some evil bastard talking about prototypes and primary targets, then we have Tails learning he's gonna have a BAD year and getting two swirlies in the same breath. What a chapter. R&R please. 


	12. Sorting This Mess Out

**CHAPTER 12: Sorting This Mess Out**

"So," Amy said to her three employees as everyone sat down around her desk, "any ideas? We've got a murder in the house, we have no clue how people will react to it, we're not even sure if we can reopen for a while." They were meeting in the restaurant, of course, but they were in the back, in Amy's office, away from the prying eyes of customers.

"Well, we could always just try to take care of the paperwork in the meantime," suggested Graham, a dark green salamander wearing all black.

"Yeah, no joke," said Katie, a white puma with a white T-shirt and a Southern accent. "No one ever seems to pay it any attention around here."

"I took care of it already," Amy said. "I get it as it comes in. Makes the job easier."

"Oh," said Graham.

"Any thoughts, Lance?" Amy addressed a short gray rabbit with 3 teeth in his head. He was a bit retarded, but he did a good job unloading supplies. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt, despite the summer not yet being over.

"Poor lady," he mumbled. Evidently the murder was still on his mind. Everyone could see it in his eyes.

"We all feel the same way Lance," said Katie. "We're trying to sort out the aftermath of the murder, though. Could you get your mind on that please?"

"Uh..." Lance hadn't understood the word aftermath. He thought Katie had meant numbers, and his mind immediately went blank.

"Well, he does a good job lifting," Amy said, "but that's about where he stops doing a good job. I hate to say this, but I sometimes wonder how he managed to fill out the job application." Lance cocked his head to one side, not really knowing what Amy had meant.

"Oh, almost forgot!" Graham produced a sheet of paper as if from nowhere. That was one of his talents, and he always seemed to have a spoon on hand whenever a customer needed one. "Got this application the other day. Good thing you mentioned it or I would've forgotten entirely." Amy took the paper and looked it over for a second.

"Huh," she said. "Speak of the devil. I know him. Didn't know he was old enough to apply for a job. Thought you had to be 15..." The application had Tails's name at the top.

"You gonna do a favor for a friend?" Katie asked jokingly.

"I might," Amy said. "He's a good guy, but he'd be better off doing more technical work. He means well, but I really can't see him in a kitchen." Outside, some maniac in a car gunned it, including the exhaust. The shot-like sound made everyone jump. The first one to say anything was Lance.

"THAT THING SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN BLAST BANG BAAAAAAAAAANG!" he yelled out randomly.

"That would be what I'd expect Tails to do, would be to fix problems like that," Amy said. "I can easily see him as a full-time mechanic."

"Tails?" Graham asked. "Is that his real name?"

"No," Amy shook her head again. "That's his nickname. Its meaning isn't exactly subtle, either." Grinning, she added, "He HATES his real name."

"Oh," Graham said.

"Two and two are four!" Lance suddenly cried out. Everyone looked at him.

"What in the?" Katie asked.

"He must've been spending this whole time thinking about math," Graham sniggered. "But we ARE a bit off the subject, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are," Amy and Katie agreed. Lance was pretty much braindead again.

"So, did the cops ever identify the body?" Amy said, not really wanting to touch on the subject again. Katie shook her head.

"I heard they were gonna have to do some DNA tests to figure it out," Graham said. "Something about plastic surgery, I guess. HEY, Lance-!" He reached over and snatched a pen away from Lance, who apparently felt like he needed something to gnaw on. Neither Amy nor Katie had to resist laughing, as the murder was still weighing too heavily on their minds.

"So, who did it, any idea?" Katie said.

"Actually, yes," Amy said. "Wait till you hear this, it's incredible. The problem with it is, it's true."

* * *

"Whoa, hold the phone," Graham's eyes were wide. "You had a robot trying to murder you just like the woman in the booth?" 

"Yeah, that's about right," Amy said, "except that it wanted to blow my head off instead of blow me in half. Like I said, if not for that rock I almost tripped over, I would probably be dead."

"Poor Amy," Lance said dully. Without warning, he jumped up, threw himself at Amy, and hugged her. She was caught off guard and very surprised, but she didn't push him off. That was just how he was. If he was glad someone was okay, he hugged them. If someone insulted him and he figured out what they meant, he slugged them. Being that he did all the lifting around the restaurant, Amy guessed he had a pretty solid swing and tried to keep him too busy to think about what people were saying.

"Graham, quick! Kodak moment!" Katie was jumping up and down and holding out her hand toward Graham, who just shook his head with a grin.

"Um, Lance?" Amy said sweetly. "I'm glad I'm okay too, but would you please let go?"

"Sorry," Lance said apologetically. A genuine apology, that was a first! It wasn't just courtesy! Up on the ceiling above them, unknown to all but Amy, Espio was lurking. He had just pulled out a kunai and had nearly thrown it through Lance's skull, because of his sudden move and throwing himself at Amy. He'd stopped when he saw it was just a hug.

"It's all right-" was all Amy had time to say before her office door opened. A cop stuck his head in. It was the same red fox who'd tried to stop Amy from seeing the body just days before.

"'Scuse me," he said, "just wanted to pass along a message. We're pretty much done in here. We've got enough pictures and things from the crime scene to go by. Once we get the place cleaned up for you, you can pretty much go back to your usual business. Who knows, maybe the publicity will help business."

"Thanks," Amy said. The cop left, closing the door behind him.

"So much for the spare time we'd have," Katie said. Graham nodded in agreement, and Lance stared right ahead, off in his own little world.

"At the moment," Amy said, "I'd suggest you all go home and get into your work clothes. Once the cops get done, we're gonna reopen. In the meantime, I'll see about setting up an interview." She motioned to the job application in case they thought she meant an interview with some bastard from the press. "That means you, Lance." Lance snapped out of his trance, nodded, and left the office. He seemed to know what Amy had said, because he immediately left the restaurant and walked off in the direction of his house. Katie and Graham did the same, except they drove instead of walking. Amy sighed when they'd left. "Espio, what's it like not knowing when you'll have something to do, and not knowing what it'll be?"

"It's very dull sometimes, but less stressful," was Espio's reply. "At least Charmy and Vector make things a bit more interesting."

* * *

Charmy scowled at Vector, who was just sitting behind the desk watching him. Charmy had a pencil in one hand and some papers on the desk in front of him: Vector had FINALLY forced him to enroll in school. Looking up to scowl again, Charmy saw Vector watching him with a shotgun in his hands. He looked down, then it hit him what he'd seen and looked up again. Vector had his feet up on the desk and was banging his head to a song on his walkman.

* * *

"But from what I've seen," Espio went on, "you've just had the same thing happen. You didn't know this would happen, but it did. Least it was a break from your usual routine. In your case, it was a blessing in disguise. From how hyped up you were about dating that guy Sonic, I would guess that you've never dated him before no matter how much you asked." 

"I guess you're right," Amy said dully.

* * *

Well, slightly interesting chapter, wasn't it? A slgithly retarded guy named Lance, a salamander named Graham who could probably make a good thief, and a puma named Katie with a Southern accent and a temperament not unlike Amy's. Even better, my favorite Vector/Charmy scene so far. Enjoy. R&R please. 


	13. Research Complete

**CHAPTER 13: Research Complete**

The phone rang in Amy's office as she read over Tails's job application form. She picked it up, wondering who knew this number. "Hello?" she said.

"Hello, I'm calling from Chaotix," said Vector's voice. "I need to talk to Espio."

"How'd you get this number?" Amy asked.

"I'm a detective, it's what I do," Vector said, amused. "Anyway, could you put Espio on the line?"

"Even better, I've got a speaker phone," Amy said. She hit the speaker button and hung up the receiver.

"Espio, you there?" Vector asked.

"You got anything?" Espio asked in reply.

"Yeah, get a load of this." Vector took a breath. "Eggman died without family around 2 years ago. Leukemia, supposedly. One of his robots was the executor for his will. According to this, he was cremated and his ashes stored in the underground storage area where his robots deactivated themselves in accordance with his will."

"Hm," Amy started, but Espio said something first.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Yeah," Vector replied. "Check this out, it says someone stumbled upon the storage area and leveled it, robots, urn and all."

"Weird," Amy said. "Guess he really hated Eggman."

"Probably," Vector said. "Or he was ticked off when he couldn't find anything worth stealing."

"That sounds more like Rouge, if you ask me," Amy said. "She's a friend of mine, before you ask. Thing is, I don't think she'd go so far as to destroy the place..."

"Wait a second, something's missing here," Espio said. "Vector, why don't I hear Charmy?"

"I finally forced him to enroll at Station Square middle," Vector said in a satisfied tone.

"YES!" Espio shouted out. "But, wait a second... He didn't have any of my kunais, did he?"

"I counted them," Vector said. "There were fifteen in the case."

"Vector, I only took four."

"Oh, shit..."

"Excuse me!" Amy interrupted. "Can we get back on the subject at hand, please?"

"Oh, right," Vector said. "Any relevant questions so far?"

"Yeah," Amy said thoughtfully. "Search for any large robot or weapons manufacturers developing prototype weapons, armor, or things like that. The stuff on that robot was pretty new-looking. If any of them have a skull for a logo, LET US KNOW."

"Right," Vector said. "I'll do that now. Talk to you later." He hung up.

"Espio, did you give him this number?" Amy asked as she clicked off the speaker.

"No," Espio said simply.

* * *

"Father..." Shrouded in darkness, a figure in a chair sat, holding a brass urn in its hands. It had a look of fondness in its eyes as it looked over the sealed container. "I will finish your work. I swear it."

"Excuse me, Master..." Black voice drifted into the room as the robot kneeled on the floor behind the chair.

"What do you want Black?" said the figure's irritated voice.

"I only wished to inform you, Master, that our new CPUs for the prototypes are completed," Black said nervously. "We will be able to upload the new AI successfully now, but there are still a few bugs to be worked out. Also, we've completed... It..." Black's voice trailed off.

"Ha ha! Excellent!" said the figure's voice in a much more gleeful tone. "Soon, he will pay."

"Master, the boys and I have been wondering, if you want the blue hedgehog dead so desperately, why did you not order #34 to kill him in the park instead of the girl?" Black asked much more nervously.

"Simple, Black," the figure sneered, though Black couldn't see the look of pure hatred on his master's face. "I want the blue hedgehog to lose everything dear to him before his very eyes before I torture him to death. Even killing the wrong girl in the restaurant was part of the plan. Her death would bring him running and reunite him with the girl who owned the restaurant, then once they got close again, kill her. The same ploy will be used to reunite him with everyone he considers dear to him, then they will die before his eyes. When the time comes, I will reveal myself to him and kill him myself." The figure laughed loudly at this point. Black cowered in fear, but still had to smile.

"As usual, your genius amazes me, Master," he said. "I will return to R&D now to help with the prototypes." As before, Black backed out of the room. The figure in the shadows continued to laugh to itself.

* * *

Well, interesting chapter, wasn't it? Vector's shot down any idea that Eggman's family might be behind the whole thing, and now Black is reporting to his master that "it" is completed. What is "it?" Who is the figure in the chair? Why's he/she/it fondling an urn instead of a sinister-looking cat or something? Find out in chapters to come... 


	14. Between Dreams and Reality

I think I'd better start by making it clear that chapters like this one are the reason why this fic has an R rating. YOU. ARE. WARNED.

* * *

**CHAPTER 14: Between Dreams and Reality**

Amy moaned with pleasure as Sonic kissed her neck a couple times, on her bed in her bedroom. He was laying beside her, but for how far over he was leaning to kiss her, he may as well have been right on top of her. He moved back up to her face and the two of them continued making out for a few minutes, without a care in the world. By this time, Sonic found himself very hard, and Amy was feeling a little bit kinky. Sonic moved his hands up onto Amy's shoulders and began to slowly pull her shoulder straps down her arms. She made no move to stop him. In fact, she reached up and helped, though this was quite unnecessary. Sonic continued to pull her dress down past her chest, exposing her breasts. At this point, Amy arched her back slightly and helped Sonic pull her dress completely off, followed by her panties, which they tossed down beside the bed. They rolled over so that Amy was on top, still kissing, and this time, Sonic's pants came off. They joined Amy's clothes down beside the bed. After another minute of kissing, the two naked hedgehogs rolled over so that Sonic was on top. Amy spread her legs a bit, and Sonic penetrated her exposed vagina. All Sonic could focus on for a second was the tight warmth he was feeling in his member, and all Amy was aware of was the full feeling in her vagina, passing right through her cervix and up into her uterus. She gave a loud moan of pleasure as Sonic began the rhythmic thrusting motion normally associated with sex. This was accompanied by rhythmic moans of pleasure from Amy after a few thrusts. He bent down and began to kiss her some more while thrusting, and during this time, reached down and ran his hand over her smooth bottom. Pretty soon, his member started to feel a bit ticklish, and Amy felt a similar feeling in her vagina. She thought of asking Sonic to stop, as she wasn't sure she wanted to be pregnant in two weeks for these few moments of rapture, but she changed her mind as she neared an orgasm. Just as Sonic ejaculated, she orgasmed, and then a shot rang out and Sonic slumped forward, dead.

"SONIC!" Amy cried out as she jerked up out of her doze. She was still in her office, a pile of paperwork off to the side, not at home giving up her virginity to Sonic. She shook her head and rubbed her left eye. WHAT a dream. Suddenly, she felt a sharp stab of fear and looked up at where she figured Espio was still hanging out. "Uh, Espio, was I talking in my sleep...?"

"I went temporarily deaf and have no clue what you were saying," he said simply. "Whatever was going on in your dream is a complete mystery to me."

"Okay, good," Amy sighed with relief. THAT was one she wanted to keep to herself, at least for now. Just then, Lance came in the door looking worried about something.

"What happen?" he asked in a confused tone of voice.

"Oh, nothing Lance," she said, shrugging. "Just fell asleep and had a bad dream. Nothing to worry about."

"Okay," Lance said. He left, having completely forgotten he had been doing before he'd heard Amy cry out. Amy looked at her clock. It was 5:00 in the afternoon.

"Ah, shoot!" she exclaimed. "I wanted to go pick up Cream again today..."

"Might I ask why?" Espio grunted from above.

"No real reason, just so she wouldn't be stuck on the bus today," Amy said casually. She reached over and clicked on the little TV on the corner of her desk, and turned it to the afternoon news. A reporter was on the scene of an accident.

"In other news, a local street race was broken up today," she droned on, "as a school bus pulled out in the way of the racers. All of their cars were totaled, as was the bus, but only the racers were injured. The students on the bus, while shaken up, are unhurt, and another bus is currently en route to pick them up and finish their route. I have here with me one of the students of Bus #53, the bus that served as an unintentional roadblock for the street racers." The camera panned down and to the left of the reporter, where stood none other than Cream. Amy's eyes went wide. The reporter went on, saying, "I'm sure when the cars hit your bus, everyone had a different thought shoot through their mind. What was your first thought?" Cream blushed visibly as she opened her mouth to answer.

"My first thought," she said, "was that I didn't think I needed to use the bathroom anymore." The reporter rolled her eyes toward the camera for a second, suppressing a laugh. Then she came up with another comment.

"Well, that WOULD be expected, I guess," she said uncertainly. "At least you were honest." She had NOT been expecting that answer. She turned around to ask Cream something else, but she had been pushed aside and Charmy's face was all over the screen.

"I TOLD YOU VECTOR!" he screamed at the camera. "I TOLD YOU SCHOOL WAS BAD AND I DIDN'T WANT TO GO! YOU AND ESPIO HAVE TO APOLOGIZE NOW!"

"Officers have taken the racers into custody," the reporter went on in a monotone, "but none of the officers would comment."

Back in her office, Amy was stunned. "Did Cream REALLY just say that?" she asked no one in particular. "I know she was brought up not to lie, but saying you peed yourself on TV is one of those moments where a lie would have been preferable."

"She didn't look wet," Espio said, trying not to laugh about Charmy. "I don't think she peed herself." Amy's eyes went wider than before and her arms dropped limply to her sides.

"I can not believe I just heard that," she said. Espio dropped down and switched off the TV for her.

"Maybe you should occupy yourself some other way," he suggested.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. She thought for a second, then pulled out a phone book and started flipping through it.

"Who you gonna call?" Espio asked, from the ceiling again.

"Sonic," Amy answered. "Maybe I'll ask him out again."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with your mystery dream, would it?" Espio grinned, even though Amy couldn't see it.

"Maybe," she said. She started dialing Sonic's number, but the answering machine picked up after 5 rings.

"Hi, you've reached Sonic's place," the recording stated. "Please leave your name, number, and a message, and I'll return the call if I ever remember to check the messages." The machine beeped.

"Hi, Sonic, it's Amy," Amy said. Before she could finish her message, Sonic picked up the receiver.

"Hi Amy," he said. "Sorry about the machine. I was kinda busy when you called. I found a nice recipe for chilidogs on TV and had to copy it down." Amy giggled slightly, then stopped.

"I was watching the news," she said, "and I didn't like what I saw. You know that girl Cream, the one I was with the night of the murder?"

"Yeah."

"Well, her bus turned into a roadblock for a gang of street racers. No one on the bus was injured, but apparently the racers are."

"I hate to say it, but, serves them right."

"I know, they have dirt roads for that... Anyway, I was just wondering, you gonna be busy tonight, because I wouldn't mind going out again. I mean, the odds of two robot attacks in a row are pretty slim."

"Sounds good. I was just about to call your place and leave the same message there, or just ask you, if you picked up." Amy giggled again.

"Well good. I got some stuff I wanna tell you. I had a dream about us. That's gonna be one of them." She smiled just thinking about the dream, conveniently forgetting the part where Sonic was shot.

"7:00 it is, then. I can't wait," he said with a sort of eager tone. Then he changed his tone a bit. "Amy, you haven't seen Tails today have you?"

"No," Amy said slightly confused. "Why? Did he not get home alright?"

"No," Sonic said with some concern. "I'm afraid he got stuffed in his locker again."

* * *

Tails sat in the same stall he'd been swirlied in, still sniffling, still not wanting to show his face, despite all the school staff having gone home for the night.

* * *

"Why don't we meet up a little early and go up to the school to see if he's there?" Amy suggested. 

"Alright," Sonic said. "I'll be there in just a few minutes. See you in a few minutes."

"Alright, see you." Amy hung up the phone and pulled open the office door. "Come on Espio, we're meeting Sonic outside in a few minutes."

"I'm not going to have to sneak into the school, am I?" he asked.

"I hope not."

* * *

When Sonic arrived, Amy greeted him with a quick kiss. He didn't mind. She immediately said, "Thanks for dressing up." Sonic was wearing his usual pair of jeans. She couldn't say much, though. She was wearing her normal attire too, as Sonic was quick to point out. 

"Like you can talk!" he exclaimed.

"Well, guess you got me there," she said with a giggle. "So, what are we gonna do if we get up there and find out he's not there?

"Beats me," Sonic said with a shrug.

* * *

As he stepped out of the door he'd had to unlock, Tails sniffed loudly. He figured no one would be around here to see him at this time of day, but wrong he was. Amy, Sonic and Espio pulled up just as he made for the front gate of the school. 

"There you are, Tails!" Sonic jumped out of the car and jogged over to him. "Why'd you stay so late?"

"Scholar's Bowl practice," Tails lied immediately. Espio picked it up right away, since there were no other cars around, no lights on inside, and no sign that anyone was expecting a bus.

"Why are you lying?" he demanded. "If you don't want anyone to know, you can always swear them to secrecy. As for me, I tend to go temporarily deaf at random times."

"Well, let's get on the road first," Tails sighed, walking over to the car. "I don't wanna stick around here."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Sonic said. "You got two swirlies, stayed in the stall all this time because you didn't want anyone to see you, and you're pretty sure this is gonna become a steady thing?" 

Tails looked irritated. "Don't rub it in."

"I wasn't," Sonic said to him. "Why don't you tell someone about this?"

"Because I have no proof!" Tails said rather louder than he'd intended. "It's my word against this other guy's, and even if I managed to prove it, his buddies would come down on me even harder!"

"Tails, if they're going to anyway, why not take them down with you?" Amy asked. "Maybe they'll finally take a hint and back off. I mean, it can't hurt to try, right?"

"Bet it can," Tails muttered. Amy pulled the car into a parking space at the end of the sidewalk leading up to Tails's front door. Tails grabbed his bookbag and got out. "Thanks for the ride. See you later."

"See you," Amy and Sonic said. Once Tails got inside, Amy backed out and back onto the road.

"Poor guy," Sonic said.

"Happens all the time," Amy said. "Cream gets picked on a bit too."

"Speaking of which," Sonic said, "you said you had some stuff to tell me."

"Oh, wait till you hear this."

* * *

"Her bus became a roadblock for a street race, then she admits to a reporter that she had an accident of her own?" Sonic tried not to laugh. 

"Yeah, crazy, isn't it?" Amy shook her head. "Amazingly, no one on the bus was hurt. I wouldn't be surprised if it flipped, too."

"Yeah, nuts."

_Speaking of that..._ Amy thought. She turned and looked over her shoulder, but not before making sure nothing was in front of her. "Espio, you're deaf."

"Eh?" Espio mocked a deaf man.

"Something a bit more personal, I take it?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, you could say that. Just before I called you, I dozed off and had myself a dream I rather enjoyed." She motioned for him to lean in close. She whispered in his ear, "I dreamt we were in my room doing the hunka chunka. Felt real enough, so now I guess I know what to expect when that time comes."

"Whoa. You kidding me?" Sonic had NOT been expecting that.

"I kid you not," Amy said out loud again. She was past the personal part and didn't trouble herself to keep her voice down.

"Well, interesting as that is, I think we have other things on our minds right now, don't we?" Sonic asked, changing the subject on purpose.

"Yes, yes we do," Amy said with a wide grin. "How does a movie sound?"

"Sounds good," Sonic said.

* * *

Bit interesting chapter, huh? Amy dreams about sex(foreshadowing? Possibly.), then she finds out Cream and Charmy's bus got wrecked by a street race. None of the students was hurt, but the racers were. HA HA! Anywho, Amy gave Sonic a call, then they went, picked up Tails, took him home, then went for a drive. Amy told Sonic about the dream, and he quickly changed the subject to something a bit less awkward-feeling. They're going to a movie. Are they actually gonna watch it, or just make out in the back row? Hard to tell... R&R please. 


	15. Weapons in the Wrong Hands

Before you read, you might want to keep in mind, this chapter is gonna be a bit gruesome. Well, actually, very gruesome. If you thought the last chapter was graphic, you're in for it. You're warned.

* * *

**CHAPTER 15: Weapons in the Wrong Hands**

"What have you to report this time, Black?" demanded the sinister figure that rarely left the shadows.

"Well Master, we've begun testing of It on some of the slaves, and the results are quite significant," Black said nervously. He was always nervous in the presence of his master, for good reason.

"I shall go have a look soon," the figure said. "What else?"

"Your plan worked as always, Master." Black looked up in the hope that his master was pleased, but he couldn't tell due to the large chair in the way. "The old driver was fired and our spy is now in place. We now have the tool we need to draw the pink hedgehog right into our grasp when the time comes."

"Excellent," laughed the shadowy figure.

"It gets even better, Master!" Black was getting more comfortable by this point. "We have been monitoring the phone lines of the targets, and we now have an idea who took out #34! Also, the pink hedgehog is growing closer to the primary target, so when it comes time to kill him, you should have no trouble luring him into a trap. None whatsoever!"

"Good."

"And, we've completed a tool I think is quite interesting. It allows us to feed thoughts into sleeping peoples' minds and force them to think what we want them to at the subconscious level. We tested it recently, and the results were a complete success. The white bat who lives near the primary target seems to be attracted to the red echidna guarding the Master Emerald. With some further prodding in the right direction, we'll be able to force dreams into his mind to lure him away from the Emerald anytime you want. Stealing it will be easier than anything we've done so far!"

"Hm," the figure began. "All this good news... As pleasing as it is to hear, it seems to be too much good news at once. I wonder if fate doesn't have something planned to ruin it all."

"How could it, Master?" Black couldn't believe his master's confidence would waver over good news.

"Never you mind, Black. Go and fetch two slaves and take them to Testing Lab Delta. One male and one female. Hedgehogs. Preferably the most useless two you can find. Go. Now."

"At once, Master!" Black bowed low, stood up, and backed from the room. The figure in the shadows hit a button on its chair.

"Blank! Bring my cloak at once!" the figure commanded.

"Yes Master!" another voice on the other end of an intercom replied. The figure turned the intercom off and rested its chin on its hands, which were propped up in its lap.

"I sincerely hope for these fools' sake that It works..."

* * *

Garbed in a straight-black cloak with a hood that also covered the face with a thin layer of cloth, Black's master appeared to walk among its servants as the Grim Reaper. Ironically, this was not far from the truth after how many innocents had suffered and died at its hands and on its orders, and how many more were destined for the same fate. The figure in the cloak stepped behind a sheet of bulletproof glass, so that it could see into the next room. Within a minute of stepping into this observation room, a young blue hedgehog of about twelve was shoved forcefully into the room. He looked about, scared to death. His heart rate had tripled, especially after having watched his parents killed by Black when they tried to stop the robot taking him. The boy was dressed in a dark green tunic that was two sizes too small, but it had grown so filthy that it was black. As soon as the poor boy saw the figure in black standing in the adjacent room, he shrank back as far into the corner as he could and dropped to his knees. Black stepped into the room at this time.

"Please Master!" the boy begged. "Please, I've served you well! Please don't do this to me!" He didn't know WHAT was about to happen, but he knew he would die if it happened, and that his death would be drawn-out, painful, and all-around horrible. Black stepped up behind his master and gave the boy an evil look.

"SHUT UP!" he bellowed at the child. The boy covered his head with his arms and slumped forward, crying. He was going to die, and that was all that he knew anymore.

"Was there a specific reason for choosing this one, Black?" the figure asked, not turning its head.

"He is similar to the primary target, save for being smaller and weaker," Black replied with an indifferent shrug. The figure narrowed its eyes behind the hood.

"Return him to the living quarters and bring me a slave who is closer to adulthood," it ordered. "I want the female to be older than this as well. I want mature specimens. The young ones have yet to become useful, but when they reach the proper age, they will more than make up for it."

"Yes, Master," Black bowed and backed out of the room yet again. "I had to kill the child's parents to bring him here, though..." He feared a reprimand, but he got no reply and assumed it didn't matter. He ordered one of his subordinates to remove the boy from the room on the way out. Several minutes later, the figure watched as a new hedgehog was forced into the room, already sobbing, and devoid of clothing: Black evidently knew this poor soul would be adequate and decided to save a perfectly good set of rags from contamination. This time it was a female, a white one. She was in her 20s, and already knew she was to die. Only children returned alive from the testing labs, if anyone. She looked through the window at her executioner, but didn't bother to shrink back. There was no need, she would die either way. Black stepped in beside his master again.

"She is in such good health considering she's been here since the beginning," the figure mumbled. "This is good, I want to see how the virus works on healthy specimens. How can it be administered? Injection, inhalation, epidermal contact?"

"All of those, Master." Black said. "We've decided to administer it through the sprinkler."

"Good." The figure reached out and pressed a button on a panel in front of itself. A fire sprinkler in the room with the hedgehog activated, spraying the room and dousing the doomed specimen with cold water. A moment later, the figure deactivated the sprinkler and waited. "How long does it take?"

"It'll begin in a few seconds," Black replied. "It'll last several minutes. I'm certainly glad I cannot feel sick, otherwise I would have left the room."

"Now is your chance." Seconds later, the suffering began. The white hedgehog dropped to her knees and grasped her throat tightly, making sick gagging noises. She fell over on her side and began writhing on the floor in pain, still making the gagging noises. Seconds later, blood began pouring out of her mouth, nose, and eyes, staining her beautiful white figure scarlet. Her hands fell away from her throat and wrapped tightly around her torso as she felt her lungs begin to corrode inside her. Her heart rate was so fast that her heart was on the verge of exploding. She began to swell slowly as her body vainly tried to fight off the infection. Her internal organs also began to corrode, and blood mixed with fluids that may have been reproductive organs began to gush forth from her vagina in torrents, all over the floor. These fluids were mixed with urine as her bladder seized up and contracted involuntarily. Runny feces began leaking through her anus as her liver contracted without absorbing any of the water from the mix. Soon, she let out a gurgling noise as her corroded lungs and blood came pouring out of her mouth. She seized up, in the fetal position. Her body seized so hard her vagina was blocked by her legs enough to prevent fluids from coming out. They just built up inside her, quickly making her appear as if she was dying pregnant. Once she got too big, her abdomen burst open and sprayed fluids all over the glass separating her room from the observation room, also allowing more torrents of blood to escape her body. She should have been dead by now, but the infection wasn't done. Her muscles began to corrode even more quickly than her lungs, including her cardiac muscles. These too flowed forth through various holes in her body, as well as her liquified brain and brain fluid flowing out through her nostrils. She was dead at last, which was merciful, because her flesh began to corrode at the same pace. Her once beautiful body was fast turning brown and slimy, and her skin began to fall into her now-empty body cavities in large portions. When this process was finally done, Black spoke up again.

"Total time elapsed since infection: seven minutes. Time subject was alive after infection: 6 minutes." He stated, reading off a built-in timer.

"Intriguing," the figure in black said. "Almost amusing. So slow, yet so horribly painful. And even better, the victim's own mother wouldn't recognize her. Excellent. Clean that mess up and bring in the other tub of shit when you're done."

"Yes Master," Black said, bowing low and backing out. Outside, he ordered four of his subordinates to clean up the remains of a once-beautiful young lady. He himself went off to fetch another male.

"At least R&D has come up with something worth showing off," the figure in the cloak said to itself. Several minutes later, another blue male hedgehog was forced into the room, which had been quickly cleaned out considering the mess that had been inside. This hedgehog was also completely naked, and was also in his 20s. He was also in relatively good health, which was why he was picked.

"Here is the other subject, Master," Black said. "He was the last victim's spouse, so it appears as though they'll be together again soon. In Hell."

"Good. Initiating the experiment now." the figure pressed the button to turn on the sprinkler once more, and turned it off after the hedgehog was soaked. He began to cry as he discovered what had happened to his wife, and that he was about to suffer the same horrible fate. Sure enough, within seconds he was on the floor, clutching his throat, making horrible gagging noises. Scarlet blood began flowing from his eyes, nose and mouth, just as his wife had happen to her. He then clutched his chest as well, heart nearly pumping fast enough to explode and lungs corroding. As before, he swelled up, his internal organs contracting and melting at the same time. His penis began to swell as the infection attacked it, and through this pseudo-boner came shooting a mixture of semen, blood, his liquified testicles, and urine. As with his deceased wife, he had diarrhea worse than anything he'd ever had. By this point, his lungs were corroded and were running out through his mouth. The hedgehog's penis exploded at this point, sending fluids flying every which way. When he seized up, his abdomen didn't begin to swell from trapped fluids: the hole left behind by his penis exploding was too big. Also, when his legs locked together, fluids trapped inside his scrotum were squeezed tightly against the skin, and it burst open, further spraying fluids around the room. By this time, his muscles were corroding, and when he finally died and the fluids leaked out, Black had seen all he wanted to see. However, he kept watching for the sake of timing the process. Finally, the hedgehog's skin finished corroding and large chunks began to fall off into his cavities. Black found his voice once again and read off the timing.

"Total time since infection: seven minutes twenty seconds. Time subject was alive after infection: six minutes 20 seconds." he read off. "His larger body and increased muscle size must have made up the extra time."

"Indeed," the figure in black said. "Clean this mess up. I am not to be disturbed for the remainder of the night unless it is important. Understood?"

"Yes, Master," Black bowed low.

"This time, there will be no escape for him," the figure said with a laugh.

* * *

THAT was just plain sick, was it not? Well, on the bright side, the two subjects died and weren't forced to live with the pain after the experiment. This mystery person is one sick fuck, is he not? Anywho, R&R please.


	16. Are you dreaming what I'm dreaming?

**CHAPTER 16: Are you dreaming what I'm dreaming?**

Rouge found herself surrounded by white, everywhere she could see. Nothing but white. She didn't seem to be standing on anything, either. Not like there was anywhere to fall, mind, but she was sure she was standing on SOMETHING. She turned a full circle, looking around for any sign of where she might be. When she'd turned a full circle, she saw a large brown doorway. As she approached it opened up and revealed a large stone building housing a large green gemstone. Rouge recognized it as the Master Emerald, and ran for it, excited. As soon as she was inside the doorway, it vanished, and so did the Master Emerald. It was replaced by the one Rouge was least excited to see, given where she was: Knuckles. He was sitting on the iron stand that had held the Master Emerald seconds before, as if waiting for her. He looked at her as she approached, and stood up.

"Hello, Rouge," he greeted. "Glad you could come."

"Huh?" Rouge was confused. "Whaddaya mean, glad I could come? I don't remember being invited, and to here, of all places! You're not gonna throw me out?"

"Well, not exactly, no," Knuckles replied, shaking his head. "I want you to come and see me, in person."

"This isn't in person?" Rouge asked, puzzled. Knuckles didn't reply. He faded away, followed by everything around Rouge. She found herself standing in a white void again, this time with an all-black figure in front of her. She couldn't make out any of its features.

"Go to him," it said. "He likes you, you know. You like him too, deep down, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Rouge admitted. "Maybe I just pretended to know where the Master Emerald was in front of him a few times because it would mean being around him a bit longer. But where is he?"

"Angel Island," it said. "You know where that is?"

"Yeah," Rouge said. "But who are you?"

"Never you mind." The figure vanished, and so did the white void. Suddenly, Rouge was falling, very fast. She looked down. There was a LOT of air between her and the ground. Around 10000 feet of it.

"AAAH! Oh my god!" She spread her wings to try and glide, but it was no use. For some reason her wings didn't want to respond. All she could do was fall, knowing she was going to die when the fall turned into the landing. Quickly, that landing was coming. 7500 feet. She was going to die before she could even get the Master Emerald. Her eyes began to water. 5000 feet. She should've just gotten married, had children, and forgotten about treasure hunting. The tears were flowing by this point. 2500 feet. Hopefully it wouldn't hurt. Panic began to set in, but it was okay, since presence of mind wasn't going to save her. 1000 feet. It was almost here. 500 feet. She closed her eyes tight and prayed for it to be painless. 100 feet. She opened her eyes. The ground was so close. Fifty feet. She was going to land in the middle of the road. Forty feet. A bus was going to break her fall. Thirty feet. How many people would die with her? Twenty feet. How did she even get here in the first place? Ten feet. She tensed up- and jerked up with a scream, drenched in cold sweat. She wasn't falling, she was at home, in bed, at 8:00 in the morning. WHAT had that dream been all about? Why did she go from a white void, to Angel Island, back to that void, then to a 10000 foot fall at the end of which she just KNEW she was going to die? All she could think of was how convinced she had been that death was at hand. "All right Rouge, pull yourself together," she told herself between breaths while wiping away a tear; just because the fall was a dream didn't mean her reaction was one. She turned on the TV in her room, and switched over to the news.

"This just in," the reporter was saying, "two as yet unidentifed bodies were found in an alley earlier this morning. They were pronounced dead by the pedestrian that found them, and from this description of the bodies, she had very good reason. Both bodies were severely mutilated, with no internal organs or muscle tissue intact. In fact, the only tissue found, other than bone, was some of their skin, clinging to the bones. The bodies have been sent to a morgue, and the flesh that was found has been sent for DNA testing to identify the bodies. The woman that found the bodies, who shall remain anonymous, was transported to 1st Street Hospital after going into shock." Rouge's mouth had fallen open, and she had one hand over her mouth.

"My god," she said. "The poor things. Wonder what happened?" Jumping up, Rouge yawned and looked at her bedside stand. There were five coffee cups, one of which was only half-empty(or half-full, you optimist joiks!), an empty bowl that smelled like tuna salad, and a tall glass with sugar in the bottom. This had contained sugar water, with a LOT of sugar. "Wow, all that and I STILL couldn't stay awake," she said, a bit surprised at herself. She didn't look behind the table, where the bag of sugar had fallen after she had set it down the previous night, eating the sugar right out of it. She had taken the doctor's words to heart, and was fighting sleep with everything she could think of. Still didn't work, though. with another yawn, Rouge took herself into the bathroom for a quick shower. Ten minutes later, she was pulling on clothes, thinking about what the figure in her dream had said. Knuckles was at Angel Island... Well, she'd give it a try. Even if he wasn't there, at least that would be one less place for her to check out later on.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Knuckles exclaimed in disbelief. "You're back here AGAIN!?" Rouge was standing in front of him wearing a pink T-shirt, sweatpants, and white tennis shoes. She often wore this attire, unless she was making a stealth run on a place. 

"I don't know if I've been here before," Rouge said, "but I'm sure I've got a different motive this time around."

"What motive is that?" Knuckles folded his arms over his chest. Rouge hesitated for just a second.

"I..." She had a little trouble getting the words out. "I came to see you. Because I like you." Knuckles wasn't expecting that.

"Uh, thanks?" he said uncertainly. "How did you know to come here, anyway?"

"Came to me in a dream," Rouge said. "Why?"

"Because I had a dream with you in it," Knuckles said. He seemed a little disturbed. "You said you were coming to see me, and that I should be expecting you about this time. Sure enough, here you are."

"Whoa, WHAT!?" Rouge was shocked. "Someone told me to come in a dream, then someone tells you in a dream that I'm coming... You said it was me telling you?"

"Yeah, that's right." Knuckles could see that she was getting a bit disturbed too. "Why, who told you to come here?"

"I don't know. It was an all-black figure. I couldn't see who. Then my dream changed. Everything disappeared, and there was-"

"White all around you."

"Right! Then I was-"

"Falling from what seemed like 10000 feet."

"Yes!" Even more than before, Rouge and Knuckles were shocked. Knuckles looked at the ground in front of him.

"The falling makes sense if who or whatever's telling us this wants us to get moving," he said. "It's said that if you hit the ground you'll die, which might be why you always jerk awake."

"Uh HUH. You DO realize we're going into the near supernatural, right?"

"Supernatural or not, it makes sense."

"Yeah... It said you like me. You do, right?"

"Yeah," Knuckles admitted with a sheepish grin. "I do. Just like you said you like me. Wonder what's going on, though? I mean, why are we showing up in each other's dreams?"

"Couldn't tell you," Rouge said. "Maybe we just like each other that much. But anyways... Wanna go out and grab something to eat tonight?"

"Sure, if you don't mind paying. I don't have any money." Knuckles knew he was doing something a bit reckless, since Rouge wasn't the only one after the Master Emerald, but she was the only one that had found it, and he thought it unlikely that anyone else was gonna stumble upon it, realize what it was, fetch equipment to remove it with, then get out of dodge with it in the span of a few hours.

"No biggie."

* * *

"Yes, admit to liking each other. Go out on a date. Fall in love. Have children. Get married." Black was watching it all on a monitor. Inside the Master Emerald building, a fly was buzzing around near the door. Little did Knuckles or Rouge know, it was a camera. "Then, I'll be set to proceed with the plan." 

"I don't think they'll have to go as far as getting married and having children, Black." The tall figure of Black master stepped out of the darkness behind Black, clad in its all-black cloak.

* * *

Well, that's another Knux/Rouge chapter outta the way. I have a bit of trouble thikning up content for these chapters, but then, when two people are constantly fighting over something, figuring out how to suddenly bring them together is a bit challenging. Anywho, R&R please. Oh yeah, almost forgot. I like cheese. Cheese is the answer to world peace, and famine in third world countries. Thank you. 


	17. Tragedy Strikes

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the _Terminator _series or anything affiliated with it. In case you forgot:

disclaimer (dis-CLAIM-er) _n._- a statement made to save one's own ass

* * *

**CHAPTER 17: Tragedy Strikes**

"What do you want to see?" Sonic asked Amy, looking at the movie list. Half of the movies had something to do with himself, most of them children's movies.

"I dunno," she said. "Don't need to see those movies about you, that's for sure. I mean, you're you, and I have you right next to me, so who needs a movie?" Sonic chuckled.

"You're right there," he said. "What about that one right there?" He pointed.

"_Terminator_, huh?" Amy looked at it for a second. "Looks interesting. Alright. Can't be scarier than anything we've ever seen before, right?"

"Right," Sonic stepped up to the ticket booth. Inside, a young man(a human this time around) was on the job. He looked up as Sonic approached, and nodded to him.

"Evening," he greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"We need two for _Terminator_," Sonic replied.

"Two for _Terminator_? Coming right up. That's gonna be 10 credits." As Sonic handed the young man the money, he began to press some keys on his register. A couple of tickets popped out for the two of them. He handed the tickets to Sonic and said, "You're Sonic, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," Sonic said casually. The guy in the ticket booth grinned.

"I would've thought you'd have had enough of robots and junk after all you've done," he said. "Here you are, going into a movie about them. Well, enjoy the show."

"Thanks," Sonic said as he stepped away from the booth. Amy laughed a little and shook her head.

"Here we are, we've both beaten the crap out of countless Eggman robots," she said, "and now we're about to watch a movie about robots."

"Well, it's sure to be interesting," Sonic said. "All the movies about me beating the crap out of Eggman have my name in the title. Unless the theater left my name out."

"Yeah, no joke," Amy agreed. Espio was with them, of course, but no one could see him, so he didn't need a ticket. He was watching the ticket booth for no real reason. It wasn't like him to let his attention wander, but this time it did. He was watching a tired-looking old man, also human, buying a ticket for _Terminator_ as well. The old man was clothed in a long brown trenchcoat with a white T-shirt and brown pants underneath it. His shoes, also brown, looked new. And for some reason, he didn't actually say anything. He used sign language. Espio figured he was just dumb(vocally challenged, not stupid).

_Didn't know the older generation was into movies about machines trying to kill people, _he thought(he'd already seen the movie about two weeks before Amy came and hired him to watch her back). He also observed the man's contact lenses. They were an unnatural shade of blue. _This guy has some strange tastes about him. He likes violent movies and he has artificially-colored contacts. Interesting guy. Guess he likes to keep up with the times._ Espio had to cut his thoughts short, since Sonic and Amy were going inside already, and a door opening and closing by itself would look a bit odd. He scooted inside just as the door began to swing shut, and stayed behind Sonic and Amy, not paying so much attention to the old guy anymore. The movie was set to start in just fifteen minutes, as Sonic pointed out.

"We ought to get our popcorn and drinks now, because we probably won't have time in a few minutes," he said.

"Okay," Amy replied. "I'll cover these, since you got the tickets."

"Okay," Sonic agreed. As Amy got in line behind a woman with three kids("I WANT ICE CREAM MOMMY!" one of them was shouting), Espio moved up next to her ear and lowered his voice to a barely-audible whisper.

"Could you grab me a Sprite?" he asked. Amy's reply was a VERY slight nod. Espio noticed it and backed away. He took a look around. The only theater showing _Terminator_ was Theater 7, so he headed in that direction.

* * *

Espio was waiting on Sonic and Amy as they stepped into the theater with a large popcorn and three drinks. The odd thing? He was visible. Sonic got a look at him for the first time. 

"That's what you look like?" he asked in a low enough voice not to attract attention.

"Yeah, this is what I look like," he said. "I figure, this is a movie theater, so it won't matter if I'm visible during the movie. No one's gonna think twice. I just have to make sure people don't see me leave with you, but I have an idea about that. Anyway, I didn't pick out a place to sit. Thought I'd leave that to you."

"Okay, thanks," Amy said. She handed him a large Sprite while she said that.

"Thanks," he said. "I love Sprite." He took a huge drink right there.

"Whoa, easy," Sonic said. "We've got about two hours of movie to sit through."

"No big deal," Espio replied as Amy walked past, going to find a seat. Sonic followed her, and then he followed about twenty seconds later and sat down beside her, acting like he didn't know her. They were sitting watching the previews of movies to come when the old man from before walked in. Espio wasn't sure WHY this guy caught his eye, but he did. He asked Amy through the corner of his mouth, "Do you know who that guy is?"

"No, why?" she asked in a whisper.

"I dunno, he just seems to catch my eye," he replied. "Maybe it's just the way he's dressed." 

"Maybe." They both stopped talking about him when he sat down- two seats down from Espio.

* * *

Around the part where Reese and Sarah were running from the Terminator in a car(after the big sex scene) on the big screen ten rows in front of them, Espio noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the old man seemed to start fidgeting a bit. He dismissed this as the man getting anxious to see how the movie ended. About five minutes later, he saw through his peripheral vision as the man put his right hand into one of his pockets. When he removed his hand, he was holding- a pocket watch. Espio mentally reprimanded himself to get worked up over an old man checking the time. A few seconds later, when Espio wasn't watching, the old man pulled out something else entirely: a 9mm Berretta pistol with a ten-round clip. He jumped up, aimed at Espio, and shot him twice, both times in the chest. Espio was caught off guard, and didn't even realize he'd been shot until he saw the gun and felt his own blood running down his chest. Indistinctly, he heard Amy cry his name, and he heard sounds of a struggle or something going on as the old man cried out in a robotic voice. 

"NUMBER 34 HAS BEEN AVENGED!" the old man yelled. Espio's vision was going blurred, fast. He heard dozens of voices all yelling different things: "GUN!", "WHAT'S GOING ON!?", "TERRORIST!", "SOMEONE CALL 9-1-1!", and he even recognized Sonic's voice shouting, "I'M GOING AFTER THAT GUY!" It took him a moment to become aware of Amy's voice: "ESPIO! HANG ON! DON'T DIE! HELP'S COMING! COME ON, HANG ON!" He reached into one of his gloves and pulled out a kunai. He focused his eyes for a second, enough to see Amy. He held the kunai out for her.

"Give that to Charmy for me," were his last words. He closed his eyes as his last breath left his body, and knew no more.

* * *

Well, I DID foreshadow this with the name of this chapter, did I not? Anywho, here's a recap. Amy, Sonic, and Espio go to see a movie(_Terminator,_ among my all-time favorites). Espio's attention wanders to an old man who seems to be keeping up with the times. In the movie, he notices the same old man sit down a few seats away. What he doesn't realize is, this old man has a gun, with two bullets meant for him. Near the end of the movie, the old man shoots Espio twice, shouts in a mechanical voice that #34 has been avenged, then runs out. Espio dies right there within moments of being shot. Guess this means Amy's gonna be without protection from now on, huh? Not to mention what Vector and Charmy are gonna say when they find out... 


	18. Last Respects

**CHAPTER 18: Last Respects**

Four days had passed since Espio had been murdered. When Amy, practically in tears, had told Vector(Charmy hadn't been around), he almost cried. He hadn't known how to react when she gave him the kunai and told him that Espio had asked that it be given to Charmy. When Charmy finally found out and Vector gave him the kunai, he DID cry. In fact, he had cried so long and hard that he finally just passed out from exhaustion in the middle of the night. All of five people turned up for Espio's funeral, besides the preacher: Sonic, Tails, Amy, Vector, and Charmy. Tails really hadn't even known Espio, but he'd saved Amy's life and that was enough for him. No one was really hearing what the preacher said, as they were all grieving in ways of their own. Charmy was sniffling and tears were flowing down his face(but he wasn't sobbing); Vector had his head bowed and was praying to a god he didn't really believe in to take good care of his friend; Amy was also sniffling with tears flowing; Sonic had a comforting arm around her; and Tails had his head bowed, remaining silent. Espio's body lay in his coffin, lid closed, on the stand set to lower the wooden box into the ground with the turn of a small crank. As the preacher knelt down to begin turning the crank, Charmy seemed to snap. He ran forward, crying his eyes out, and threw himself on the coffin.

"COME BACK ESPIO!" he cried out. "I PROMISE NOT TO FIGHT WITH VECTOR ANYMORE! I WON'T TOUCH YOUR KUNAI ANYMORE! I'LL GO TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY! JUST COME BACK! I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO!" No one made a move to stop him for a minute, to allow him a minute to let it all out. Finally, Vector stepped forward and gently pulled him away from the coffin. Charmy didn't try to fight him; rather, he flew up and buried his face in Vector's shoulder, still crying for all he was worth. Vector just patted him on the back a few times, at a total loss for words. As the preacher lowered Espio's coffin into the ground, Amy managed to say her first few words in several hours.

"Thank you Espio," she whispered through her tears.

* * *

"I have taken out the secondary target, Master," said a robotic voice, kneeling in the light behind the chair of the dark figure who seemed to control everything at some level. The voice belonged to the old man who had murdered Espio four days before by shooting him in the chest. "I apologize for my lateness making my report, but as you know, I had to lie low for a little while before returning, lest I be followed."

"Very well, Sturges," grunted the voice in the chair. "However, I did NOT order you to attack the primary target, did I? And yet you wounded him in the stomach!"

"I am sorry Master!" Sturges cried out. "I had to wound him to get him off my tail! He has recovered from the wound! The worst he will have is a scar! I had to do it, or I would not have been able to return!"

"Oh, Sturges, you misunderstand me," the dark figure said as it began to type "Sturges" on a small keyboard using one hand. "You were not meant to return. It was a suicide mission. I planned for you to be destroyed out there so that everyone would see your emblem and know it was I who sent you to kill the pink hedgehog's guardian. Goodbye, Sturges." The figure pressed a small red button on its keyboard, and Sturges's head suddenly exploded as several implanted charges were detonated. Blood and chunks of skin were sent flying several feet in every direction, as well as chunks of hardened metal and some computer hardware. His fake eyes landed with a plop right behind the chair. "Fool. Well, in the very least, my Cybernetic Warrior program is a success. Of course, once I have some other objectives completed, I will not require them." Sturges's real eyes faded and burned out.

* * *

"I'm so sorry about this," Amy said to Vector after Espio's funeral was over. They were still at his grave, even as it had begun to rain slightly. Charmy had thrown himself on the fresh grave as soon as Vector had let go of him, still crying his eyes out.

"I told you before, I don't blame you for it," Vector said to her, his voice devoid of the energy it usually carried. "You didn't know this would happen. No one did."

"I couldn't even catch the guy that did it," Sonic said glumly. "Wish I had, it would've helped to pound his head in, I'm sure."

"Speaking of that, how's your stomach?" Amy asked.

"I'm okay," Sonic replied. "The doctors managed to get the bullet out without a problem. It didn't hit anything important, so they let me go the day after the surgery." A particularly loud sob from Charmy caused them all to look over at him pitifully.

"Poor kid," Vector said. "He would never have admitted it while Espio was with us, but he thought of him as an older brother. A bit harsh and sometimes even hostile one, but a brother nonetheless."

"I feel just the same about Sonic," Tails said, opening his mouth for the first time in hours. "I know how that goes." Sonic had already known this, and didn't show any signs of surprise.

"You guys need a ride?" Amy asked Vector.

"No, that's okay," he said. "I think we'll stay here for a while, and let Charmy get everything out of his system. I'm not really sure how much is a proper amount of grieving time for him, so I figure I'll just leave it up to him. We can catch a cab or a bus later on."

"Alright," Amy said. "I guess your job is done now. Not much point sticking by me now that they're onto you."

"Guess not," Vector said. "Don't mean to sound rude, but I don't think this is the best time or place to discuss business."

"I guess not," Amy said. She looked down at thr ground for a minute, then looked up and suddenly asked, "Could you excuse me?" She didn't even wait for an answer, and left rather more quickly than was necessary. Sonic and Vector looked at each other.

"What's eating her?" Vector asked.

"Don't know," Sonic said. "I'll find out." He ran after Amy, and caught up with her at her car. He immediately asked, "What's wrong, Amy?" Amy sighed.

"I'm starting to think I'm too dangerous to be around, Sonic," she said, sounding depressed. "That lady at the diner was killed because she looked like me, then Espio was killed because he took down that robot trying to kill me. I can't stand the thought of someone else dying because of me!" Sonic was appalled that Amy could even think that way.

"Amy, don't say that!" he said. "You know it's not true!"

"Prove it!" she retorted. Sonic hesitated; he couldn't think of a valid argument for the lady in the diner or Espio. They actually both WERE related to Amy in some way. Of course, Amy saw this and looked down and to her left, avoiding Sonic's eyes. "See? You can't prove they didn't happen because of me."

"Knock it off!" Sonic suddenly burst out. "Look, I admit I can't say that Espio and the lady in the diner's murders weren't related to you, but they were NOT your fault! You did nothing to cause them! NOTHING! That lady was killed because she looked like you, which was something no one could do anything about. Espio was killed because he took down that robot, unless the guy in the theater was lying when he said that #34 was avenged! You may have had some connection to both murders, but they weren't anything you could help! Do you understand me?" At first, Amy didn't reply, at least not verbally. Instead, she looked up at Sonic, right into his eyes, before throwing herself on him and hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her as well. Finally Amy found words to express what she was feeling.

"I just don't want to see you or any of our friends killed because of me," she said.

"Amy, what did I just say?" Sonic said. "Nothing's going to happen to anyone because of you. Just remember that. If something happens to me, it's because of something I did, not you." Amy didn't say anything back, but she didn't need to. Sonic could feel her response: she understood.

* * *

Well, bit of an interesting one, wasn't it? .....I always say that. I need new material. Anywho, this was a bit of an angsty chapter, if you hadn't noticed. Personally, I felt a little depressed while I was typing it out. Guess I got a little into it. Of course, that's what happens when you suffer from an inability to keep mental images out of your head, showing what your writing would look like if you were there watching it unfold. Anyway, in case you didn't guess, the guy that killed Espio was a cyborg. And he did a bad thing: he shot Sonic in the stomach to escape from him. Sonic survived and made a full recovery in less than 3 days, but the cyborg's master(who is it? That's for me to know and you to speculate) informed him that he wasn't supposed to come back, and killed him. This should provide a bit of satisfaction for Espio fans. Anywho, R&R please. As usual. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find something alternative to say besides "Interesting, wasn't it?". 


	19. Bad Start Getting Better

**CHAPTER 19: Bad Start Getting Better**

Rouge yawned widely as she finished her fifth coffee in fifteen minutes. Knuckles was sitting right across from her, not even wondering why she needed so much caffeine just to stay awake this long. He was still regretting having to force her to sniff the mind drug, but he hadn't had a choice. He couldn't let Rouge remember where the Master Emerald was. Now that she'd rediscovered it, though, he was torn between letting her remember or readministering the drug. On the one hand, she had made no move to get to it, and had said she didn't want it(besides Knuckles liking her). On the other hand, she could have been lying and could have planned to snatch it at the first opportunity she got. Knuckles was torn from his thoughts a moment later.

"I need another coffee over here!" Rouge was calling to a waiter nearby. "Could you make it a triple this time?" The waiter nodded, and walked back to get another coffee. He couldn't help but wonder who in God's name needed so much coffee. Rouge, on the other hand, had one happy thought going through her mind: the drug would be wearing off in the next two or three days, unless the doctor hadn't been entirely correct.

"Just so you know," Knuckles said, "when you get to that point, the bathroom's right over there." He pointed. Rouge laughed.

"That was actually the first thing I looked at on the way in," she said. "I'm gonna need to know where it is when this coffee catches up with me."

"Sorry I had to make you sniff that crap," Knuckles apologized, "but I had to."

"I know why you did," Rouge replied. "I just wish you would've just whacked me in the head with a tree branch and ended it quicker. I mean, I'd have the headache of a lifetime, sure, but I wouldn't have to spend a week sleeping it off and trying to remember what foods I like and don't like."

"Sorry," Knuckles repeated. He and Rouge were sitting in a booth in the same 24-hour diner that Rouge had eaten at the morning she'd gone to see Dr. Briggs(the guy who looked like Bruce Willis). The imitation leather they were leaning against was colored red, and was one of the hardest things they'd ever felt, besides stone. The seats were a plain white plastic, with a particle board table between them. Rouge's five coffee cups sat off to one side, all of which had some sugar left in the bottom. Knuckles had a glass of water sitting in front of him, but nothing else, besides his fork, knife, and spoon, still wrapped in a napkin. Rouge hadn't touched her fork or knife, but her spoon had already seen some serious use. It had some bits of sugar stuck to it, mixed with a little coffee.

"Don't worry too much about it," Rouge said. "I'll learn it all back."

"Well, once you've done that, what are you gonna do?" Knuckles asked. "I mean, you spent a lot of your time looking for the Master Emerald, right?"

"Yeah," Rouge replied. "I was thinking about that myself. I've found the thing, so now what? I haven't figured it out yet. I mean, I COULD go on and get my hands on every other gem in the world, but not having one is as good as not having any of them, the way I look at it. Granted, I COULD try and steal it from under your nose again, but look how much success I've had. I may as well just get a job somewhere and deal with it..." Her voice trailed off, and she shuddered at the thought.

"Well, much as I see it as a comfort that I probably won't be having problems from you anymore," Knuckles said, "I'm kind of surprised you'd give up so easily."

"I've been hunting for the thing a lot longer than you think, you know. It's not like it only took six years of failure to stop me. Took me closer to ten."

"I... didn't know that. But, I guess even if you can't have it, you've FOUND it, right? I mean, not many people have. The other ones who did, I kinda had to hurt them. A lot."

"Well, like I said, I think I would've preferred a tree branch to the head. It would've hurt, but still, would've been better for me in the long run."

"So, what else do you do, anyway?"

"Ah, not much, really. Did a bit of spying for a while, but that went sour. Nearly got a knife through my throat at one point, so I gave it a rest. Did you know I hacked a ton of Eggman's accounts and stole a load of his money before he kicked the bucket?"

"I heard someone did, but I wasn't sure who. Did you do it alone, or did you have help?"

"Well, I did the actual hacking myself, but I had Amy find the account numbers for me once I actually hacked into his database."

"Maybe that's why she stopped chasing Sonic around everywhere."

"From what I heard, yeah. She owns a restaurant now. Dunno why she went that route, but hey, better than nothing, I guess. Imagine my surprise when she asked me to help her learn to drive, and she showed up in a Corvette."

"Well, I guess you gotta expect her to have at least one really expensive personal thing, huh?"

"From what she said, it was the cheapest on the lot. The cheapest car, not the cheapest Corvette."

"Whoa. Wonder where she went to buy it."

"Just this place, is all she said. I haven't talked to her for about two or three weeks, so I'm probably gonna do that in the next day or so." Rouge yawned widely as her coffee came. She immediately dumped a load of sugar in it and chugged it right there. She then went on, saying, "I told her I live right near Sonic, and on more than one occasion she asked me to see if I couldn't set them up, but I'm no good at that. Kinda makes me feel a little guilty that I couldn't help her out, but what can I say?"

"How's he been, anyway? I haven't talked to him in a while. Or Tails, or just about anyone, for that matter."

"Well, Sonic's been his usual self. Goes out for a run in the morning, laps the countryside a dozen times, comes back around dinnertime. Tails is in the eleventh grade, having skipped two grades. I talked to him during the summer, which is how I know. Haven't seen him lately, so I dunno how he likes it. Like I said, I haven't talked to Amy for a few weeks, but I know enough to tell you that she's been busy running her restaurant, so she hasn't really had time to chase Sonic around since she was like sixteen." 

"Well, bet he's enjoying the break from all the chasing. And the hugs of death. And the marriage proposals. And the begging for a date. And God knows what else."

"I kept telling her, that wasn't gonna be how she bagged him, if she ever did. I told her, the best thing to do would be to just find some way to wipe the slate clean, and start over. Speaking of which, we aren't gonna need to do any slate wiping, are we?"

"Eh, I don't think so." Knuckles put his hands behind his head and leaned his head back on them. "Look where we are without doing so."

"Good point. I'll be back in a minute, I think the coffee's catching up with me." Rouge got up at this moment and headed for the bathroom, in a bit of a hurry. Knuckles sighed.

"I KNEW I should've gone with the tree branch, but do I listen to my gut instinct? Shit no!"

* * *

Well, that's another one down. Chapter, that is. I had a bit of trouble thinking up dialogue for this. Dunno why, but writer's block tries to set in whenever I do a Knux/Rouge chapter. Well, I know one thing for sure: by the time it's done, I'll be bitchslapping myself for not putting in minor details. Can't imagine what details those are, but I'll figure it out. Anywho, R&R please. On a completely unrelated note, my feet really hurt. I just had a doctor cut my toenails on my big toes, rip out the ingrown parts, then burn them with a soldering iron. The problem? The numbing crap didn't do its job. It STILL hurts.


	20. If Days Could Kill

Before I write this chapter, I'd just like to say one thing: Poor Tails.

* * *

**CHAPTER 20: If Days Could Kill...**

When Tails got up on that warm August morning, he knew this was going to be a really bad day. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Even as he stepped into the bathroom for a shower, he had this feeling of foreboding, like he would probably be best off not leaving his apartment. Still, he had to go to school, and as he had a test that day, he made up his mind that he was going, and that was that.

"Hope today doesn't turn out as bad as some of my other days," he said to himself, through a yawn. Hot water poured down his face and into his mouth through this yawn, so he wound up having to spit it out. As he began to lather shampoo in his hands, he had no clue how wrong he was.

* * *

Fourth period PE. Tails had gotten to this point without incident, maybe he'd be able to get through the whole day without someone pulling something on him. He was about to find out how wrong he was. Everyone was dressed out for the class, and Coach Hess, at the front of the gym, called the class to order. Upon calling roll, he called out, "Free day today! Shoot hoops, play some football outside, run laps, do whatever. Just don't sit down and do nothing!" Tails noticed a couple big guys looking at him, all of them grinning. One was a red lion, one was a red panther, and the third was a red bobcat, all of which were at least three times Tails's size. They all looked like seniors, which unnerved Tails a little: the whole junior/senior rivalry was particularly bitter at this school. A few minutes later, basketballs were flying around the gym, a couple people were running laps, and the three guys approached Tails as he tried to get his hands on a basketball of his own. One of them had grabbed a football from a freshman and told him to get lost.

"Hey kid," said the lion, "we need a fourth person for a little game we wanna play. Y'know, two-on-two. Wanna be it?"

"Not really-" Tails started, but the panther cut him off.

"Ah, come on, it'll be cool," he said as the lion grabbed Tails's arm and pretty well dragged him outside. On the football field outside, the three cats and Tails all had one half the field to themselves, as half the class was playing with full-size teams on the other fifty-yard stretch.

"Alright," said the bobcat, "this is easy enough to understand. The game is Smear the Queer. One team is whoever doesn't have the ball, and the other team consists of whoever DOES have it. As in, one team has one person, the other team has a shitload of people. Goal line's on the fifty-yard line. Get running." The lion threw the football to Tails, who instinctively caught it, then realized he was about to get nailed and flew straight up. He avoided the tackles, flew straight to the fifty-yard line, and landed easily.

"YES!" he yelled. "TOUCHDO-" He was cut off as the lion slammed into him, hard, from behind. The ball went flying, but no one went after it. The bobcat and the panther jumped on top of the lion, and someone on the other half of the field yelled "DOGPILE!", causing the people on that side of the field to run over and add themselves to the pile. Coach Hess came outside at that moment to see what the commotion was, and saw the dogpile. He blew his whistle and went running over to see what was going on. As everyone got up, the lion whispered into Tails's ear.

"Thanks kid," he said. "I think we've won the bet this round." Tails didn't hear. As Coach Hess found out when the dogpile crowd dispersed, he was out cold.

* * *

"What happened?" one voice was asking.

"According to Coach Hess, the kid stopped running in the middle of a football game, right on the fifty-yard line, and the other guys flattened him, then decided it was a dogpile moment," another voice said.

"Can't he do something about it?" asked the first voice. "People are gonna be riding him all year long, according to one of the rumors he told me he'd heard."

"Nope, can't do anything," replied the second voice. "It was an accident the happened during the game. Can't punish someone for an accident. I mean, even if it was on purpose, there'd be no way to prove it." Tails began to come to his senses. He felt a cold cloth on his face, on his eyes. Another one, this one warm, was cleaning his face. He couldn't imagine why, but he didn't care. He noticed the touch was gentle, even motherly. He also noticed, he was lying stretched out on something soft and comfortable. This was good, because his whole body ached, especially his head. He didn't open his eyes or move, having no desire to do so.

"What time is it?" asked the first voice from before. Tails could begin to make out whose voice it was: Amy's. But what was she doing at his school, if he was even there? When he heard the second voice, his whereabouts were confirmed.

"It's about 1:20," said the voice of Ms. Broome, the school nurse. She was a little old lady, human, with medium-length, curly white hair, and everyone in the school liked her. She'd been a popular substitute teacher for a while, but that was before she applied for the job of school nurse and showed that she was more than capable of handling it. Tails guessed he was in her office in the main high school building. Finally, he opened his eyes, slowly, pulling off the cold cloth. The lights hurt, and he snapped his eyes shut again.

"Could you turn off those lights?" he mumbled. He saw through his eyelids as the lights dimmed, and opened his eyes again. He looked up, and saw Ms. Broome standing over him, putting a washcloth into a bowl of what sounded like water. "What's that?"

"You had a bloody nose," Ms. Broome said in her soft, soothing voice. "I wasn't about to just leave the blood on your face, you know. Next time you play football, try not to play so rough."

"Wasn't my fault," Tails said bitterly. "Jerks. I scored a touchdown and they tackled me anyway! I KNEW they were too insistent!"

"How are you feeling, Tails?" Amy asked from off to the side. Tails turned and looked at her.

"I ache all over, but mostly my head," he replied. "What are you doing here Amy? You're not on my emergency contact sheet, are you?"

"No," Amy replied. "From what Rouge said, they called her when they couldn't get ahold of Sonic, but she couldn't come either, so she had them call me."

"Nice one," Tails said. Even though he didn't see her much, he and Rouge still knew each other, and she had been the one to suggest he put her on his contact sheet, just in case.

"Here, put this on your head," Ms. Broome said, holding out a bag of ice. Tails took it and pressed it to his head, clenching his teeth for a moment when the ice came in contact with the lump on his forehead.

"Thanks," he said. "I'm hungry."

"You missed lunch," Ms. Broome said. "Tough luck, kiddo. You don't feel sick or anything, do you?"

"No," Tails said. "Why?"

"Making sure you don't have a concussion," she replied. "Are you allergic to aspirin?"

"No," Tails repeated. "I have got to talk to Mr. Holland about people doing this crap to me..."

"You can probably leave in a few minutes," Ms. Broome said. "I've only got one little test for you first." She held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Six?"

* * *

Finally, after Tails's eyes focused properly and he could tell Ms. Broome how many fingers she was holding up, she allowed him to leave with Amy. Outside, she and Tails climbed into her car, parked close to the building. Tails was a bit unhappy, as the principal hadn't been available. He figured he'd just have to talk to him in the morning.

"Sorry you had to take all this time to come down here, Amy," he said when they were both in the car.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "By the way, while we're here, I wanted to ask you about something."

"Go ahead."

"You still want that job at my restaurant?"

"Huh?" Tails looked at Amy, surprised. "That's your restaurant?"

"Yeah, it is." Amy grinned. "Hard to believe how many people haven't looked at the name and made the connection. You didn't, Sonic didn't, God knows who's next. So, interested?"

"Let me answer that with another question: would you mind me coming in every day in worse shape than the day before?"

"Well, if you know that talking to the principal won't help, best not to bother, isn't it?"

"Good point. Anyway, to answer your question, yeah, I'm still interested."

"When can you start?"

* * *

There's you another chapter, right there. Tails got knocked out in PE by a couple of guys playing that little game where they pick on him and see who gets away with it the longest. These guys probably won this round, since no one can prove it wasn't an accident. Anywho, Amy shows up to take him home(of all people), and in the car, she talks to him about his job application. Tails was hired right there. Anywho, R&R please. 


	21. Thoughts and Ideas

**CHAPTER 21: Thoughts and Ideas**

"Black, in here now!" growled the voice of the figure who never left the dark exposed. "I want a word."

"Coming, Master!" replied the voice of Black, from outside the figure's chamber. Once inside, Black knelt down in the dim light of the room.

"I've been thinking Black, perhaps the bug, while good for wiping out entire cities in a single missile attack, would be unsuited for my short-term goals. You know what those are, of course."

"Yes, I do, Master. Kill the blue hedgehog's friends, then kill him, slowly."

"Right. But, my thoughts are, while the virus is a very horrid and painful way to die, the process is not drawn out enough. Suspend production of it for the meantime."

"Yes, Master. Anything else?"

"I want you to find the five most able-bodied slaves, and remodel them using some of the new cyberware. Also, select some of the smaller weapons being designed for the C.W. program, and equip the slaves with them. I want the end result to be living organisms transformed into cyborgs. Sort of the opposite of the prototype sent to kill the secondary target last week. I liked the metallic endoskeleton and the AI installation, but I want to see if we can't cut costs yet produce a similar weapon to the original design plan. Install charges in their skulls as well."

"Yes, Master. I will do that immediately."

"Then go." Black backed out of the room as his master rested its chin on its hands. "One more thing. Make sure they remember who's in charge. Also, if you should make mistakes remodeling them and they don't appear likely to recover, go ahead and kill them. Send Blank in here on the way out. I have a job for him."

"Yes, Master." A few minutes later, a smaller robot than Black walked in. On his arms, small lasers were mounted, just powerful enough to kill someone, provided they were properly aimed and fired from within twenty feet. They would still be able to hit a target from up to fifty feet, but they were not focused enough to kill from that distance. His whole body was black, just like Black's. His legs were cylindrical with small jump jets mounted to his feet. He was lightly armored, with a medium-sized torso and a small head equipped with infrared and X-ray scopes. He was obviously built for light combat, but he mostly worked security, keeping the slaves in check. Unlike most of his master's creations, he had a sense of decency about him, and the slaves felt less bitterness toward him. They still felt some, because he'd occasionally had to kill a few or treat them a bit roughly, but overall, they preferred him to others.

"What is it you require, Master?" Blank asked, kneeling.

"It is time to begin gathering the seven Emeralds," the figure said. "I need you to bring me someone suited for the job, preferably of their own free will. Bring them to me, but make sure they are unaware of where they are, and that they will be unable to return without your guidance. Trick them, kidnap them, whatever, just get it done."

"Yes, Master," Blank said. "I know just the one. However, I will not be able to trick him into coming here on my own, as I am too conspicuous, nor will I be able to capture him, for he is too powerful for me."

"Take a slave, then. Choose one and implant charges in whoever it is, then give them their instructions. Remind them what will happen if they try to escape or tell someone about us. And if they fail, bring them to me and I will kill them myself."

"Yes, Master." Blank backed out of the room, bowing.

* * *

"Alright, here it goes!" Sonic was headed straight for the cliff's edge. Just another 100 feet to go before he went over. He was approaching full speed, which meant he'd probably have a nice sonic boom going on before he was done. Just another thirty feet to go. Twenty, fifteen, ten, five! Sonic kept right on going- and began to run down the side of the cliff, onto a rounded part a bunch of kids had shaped and polished. He ran down a twenty foot slope, then swerved right, out onto a wooden platform the kids had built and mounted to the cliff wall. He ran for another thirty feet, then took a sharp left and headed downward into a corkscrew that took him fifteen feet. He came out of the corkscrew and ran across to another cliff wall roughly twenty feet away. He ran back up about ten feet, then followed the smooth part of the wall to the right slightly and ran back down, jumping when he hit the ramp at the bottom and landing smoothly on the ground. "Well, now I see why kids like skateboarding down that thing. Too bad they couldn't have picked a bigger cliff and made a longer path." 

"You're such a show-off, Sonic," a voice said. Sonic turned around and saw a black hedgehog about his size, with red-striped quills, a patch of white on his chest, red eyes, and rocket skates on his feet.

"Shadow! What're you doing here?" Sonic asked with a grin on his face. He couldn't help it, showing off was one of his favorite pastimes.

"Just finished my little tour of the world," Shadow said casually. "Didn't learn anything about my past yet, but I figure it'll come back to me if I keep at it. So what about you? It's only been two months, but I'm sure you've been up to a lot."

"Not really," Sonic said. "I ran into Amy recently. We kinda wiped the slate clean and now we're dating."

"Took her long enough," Shadow said with a grin. "So she didn't club you with that hammer of hers this time, huh?"

"Nah, no hammer this time. She just kinda looked me in the eyes and asked me to wipe the slate clean. Then she asked me out."

"Nice one. She's learned to use the power that lies in the eyes. So, didja kiss her yet?"

"Yeah. I'm no expert on the subject, but I think she's a pretty good kisser."

"You sure noticed quick, didn't you? How many times have you two gone out so far?"

"Just twice. Both times were disasters, though."

"Keep talking. Tell me what was wrong."

"Well, it kinda started before I even ran into her the first time she asked me out..." By the time Sonic was done explaining, Shadow's eyes were wide, and he would've thought Sonic was lying, if not for his deadly serious tone.

"You have got to be shitting me. Please tell me you are."

"No Shadow, I'm serious. Someone's after Amy for some reason, and I don't know what it could be. I doubt she's the only one, though. I mean, she's never done anything to anyone, except Eggman, but you know he's dead, so that means maybe it's because she's connected with someone. Maybe it's because of me, which makes sense, considering I've pulled one over on more people than just Eggman. Or maybe it's just a serial killer that's after her. If that's the case, he's pretty persistent and never acts directly, but it's possible. But back to someone being after her because of someone she's connected to. Let's say that person's me. Let's say they actually do get her. Wouldn't it stand to reason that they'd go for someone else close to me next?"

"Good points, all of them," Shadow said, folding his arms over his chest. "But why would they have tried to kill Amy in the park when you were two feet away? You would have been such an easy target. Either someone's got it in for Amy for some other reason, or they have much more malicious intentions."

"Such as?"

"I don't know. Possibly they have a grudge against you and want to leave you without friends or family, or maybe they just want to deprive you of everything you hold dear to you before they go for you."

"But who?"

"Don't know. As far as I know, after Eggman died, his robots all deactivated themselves and sealed themselves up, and someone found that place and destroyed it later on. That means it probably can't be one of his creations come back to haunt you. It's probably someone else doing it."

"I haven't really done anything too bad to anyone else. Most of the people I got the best of, I did that in a few bets I've made, and the most I took off them was a few credits. The others were just some guys I beat in a street race. Nothing serious."

"Maybe someone's wife found out they were gambling and divorced them, and they came after you because they went mad and thought you were the reason it happened."

"That would be a bit extreme."

"Come on Sonic, you of all people should know, when someone goes mad, there is no such thing as extreme. Remember that time about a year after Eggman built that bigass ship that dwarfed the Egg Carrier?"

"When Eggman unleashed a missile attack on that city so he could lure me into fighting that T-Rex thing with no weak point? The one I had to use the Emeralds' power to beat?"

"Yeah, that time. Blowing up the city and killing all those people was worth it as far as he was concerned. He didn't mind getting his name at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted list as long as he got the chance to kill you, which he nearly pulled off with that damn thing."

"He sure didn't forget the escape pod, did he?" Sonic's face was distorted with anger at this point: Eggman had NEVER pissed him off that badly before, and his hatred for the man had never decreased since then.

"Mad doesn't necessarily mean stupid. But anyway, I gotta run. I kinda wanted to get home and relax. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Okay, see you Shadow." Sonic had to yell this out, as Shadow had already set off back toward Station Square.

* * *

Alright, all you Shadow fans rejoice. I've had a spot in here for him all along, I just had to wait until we got to that point before I threw him in there. Lotsa dialogue in this one, huh? Shadow is now up to scratch on what's been going on so far, and he seems to have some theories of his own about who it could be. Have you started to notice, all the more important characters in the story are a bit smarter and quicker thinkers than the lesser characters? Anywho, on the other end of the chapter, it seems our mystery villain, whose identity I will reveal a little later on in the story(it's not Metal Sonic, so perish the thought now), has decided not to use the very sickening virus for its "short-term goals", opting to try something else. Also, about five of its slaves are about to be forever changed, probably for the worse(a bit later on, I'll reveal how those people came to be slaves). Lastly, Blank, a robot whose main job is security, has been given the task of finding someone to gather the Emeralds for his master, and he claims to know just the guy. You wonder who it is, don't you? Heh heh, that's for me to know and you to find out. R&R please. 


	22. Friends

**CHAPTER 22: Friends**

As Rouge sat waiting for her laptop to boot up(she'd just hooked it up again), she couldn't help but notice her eyelids didn't try to droop and she hadn't yawned for at least an hour: obviously, this meant that damn drug was wearing off.

"Finally I'll be able to sit for five minutes without yawning or having to drink a cup of coffee again," she said to herself. As her laptop finished booting up and she began a game of FreeCell, someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" she called out. The door opened and in came Amy.

"Hiya Rouge," she greeted. "Haven't seen you for a little while. How you been?"

"I've been doing pretty well," Rouge replied, setting her laptop aside. "Come on and sit down, we gotta talk a while. How've YOU been?"

"Ah, same old same old," Amy said. She sat down on the couch beside Rouge, who looked at the clock out of curiousity. It was 3:00 in the afternoon. "Been busy with work, you know. I ran into Sonic recently, and we've gone out a couple of times since then."

"How'd you bag him?"

"Looked him in the eyes, asked him if we could wipe the slate clean and forget all the times I clubbed him with my hammer, then asked him out. Not too hard."

"I told you it would work!" Rouge exclaimed with a bit of a laugh. "So, where did you two go?"

"Well, the first time, we went out to eat." Amy grinned as she added, "Sonic said he told Tails before we went out, and Tails said it was kind of ironic, since we were about to go to one of my competitors for dinner. He was right, wasn't he?"

"Sounds like it," Rouge said, also with a grin. "Where else did you go?"

"Well, the last time we went out, we went and saw _Terminator_. Decent movie, but it had machines in it. Leave it to me and Sonic to pick a movie about robots, huh?"

"Yeah. Hey, what's wrong?" Amy's face had darkened considerably when she mentioned the theater, and Rouge had seen it right away.

"Well..." Amy was a little hesitant to have to relive Espio's murder, but she started from the beginning, about hiring him, the first attack, and the events up to the murder. Before she finished, she broke down into tears, and Rouge pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she said in what she hoped was a comforting tone. "I shouldn't have asked you that. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Amy said, still sobbing. "You didn't know what I was going to say. Anyway, I'll be okay in a few minutes. Why don't you tell me what you've been up to lately? I've been doing all the talking so far."

"Okay," Rouge said, letting Amy go. "Well, from what I pieced together, I found the Master Emerald about a week ago, but Knuckles stopped me from reaching it, then he forced me to sniff some kind of shit that screwed my memory up. I really haven't forgotten much, as far as I can tell, but it DID surprise me when I couldn't remember if I liked bacon and eggs. But anyway, something showed up in my dreams and told me where to find him, so I went and tracked him down. We had a little talk, and it turns out he saw the same thing, and it told him I was coming."

"Creepy," Amy said, wiping away the last of her tears.

"No joke," Rouge agreed. "Anyway, we talked a little more, and I found out he likes me. I kinda like him too, actually. We went out to eat the other night."

"Where'd you go?" Amy asked with a sly grin. "Didn't go to one of my competitors, did you?"

"Yeah, actually," Rouge confessed, scratching the back of her head.

"Well, just this once, I'll conveniently forget that you didn't look us up first. Anyway, did you kiss him?"

"No, no kissing. Oh, that reminds me, did you and Sonic kiss?"

"Yeah, we did," Amy said, blushing slightly, even though she had no idea why. "I'm no expert on the subject, but I'd say he's a good kisser. I wonder if he hasn't had someone to practice on..."

"Nah, doesn't seem becoming of him," Rouge said. "Then again, I haven't seen him for awhile... Or Tails, for that matter. How is he?"

"Oh, he's okay, at least at home. From what I've seen, he's having a rough time of it with the other kids at school. Swirlies, locker stuffings, he even got knocked out playing a game of football he didn't even want to play in the first place. The school can't do anything about that, either." Amy sighed and Rouge shook her head.

"Kids these days," she said, disgusted. "They can't get their kicks from something decent anymore. Now it's all drinking, partying, bullying, and sex."

"You forgot drugs, but I know what you mean. Course, look at me, I'm not much older than most of them."

"Physically you're not. As far as maturity goes, hell, you're years ahead of them!"

"Thanks. Anyway, I went and picked up Tails when the school called me, and I talked to him about his applying for a job at my restaurant."

"He applied at your place? Do tell."

"Yeah, Graham gave me his application several days ago. Didn't even get around to talking to him about it until today. Right now he's probably at home laying down."

* * *

Tails gulped down a glass of cool water on his way to his room. Once there, he cranked his stereo, sat down at his desk, and started work on a new blueprint for a subatomic energy converter he planned to build for the science fair later on in the year.

* * *

"Anyway," Amy went on, "he said he still wanted the job, and he starts on Friday. I hate to tell him he'll have to come in on Sundays." 

"Yeah, those church groups are massive, huh?" Rouge said. "Still, least people are saying good things about you, even if it means everyone at that church down the road from your place has to stop in all at once."

"Yeah, you're right about that. Least we make a lot of money. Did I tell you I was thinking of opening in a second location?"

"No you didn't. Bet it won't curb the church groups, will it?"

"Probably not, but still, it'll have it rewards later on down the road."

"Yeah, I can imagine... You still offering Cream part-ownership when she hits eighteen?"

"Yeah, I am. Call it favoritism if you want, but hey, my place, I can do what I like with it. At least, anything within the law, and I see no laws against that."

"Nice attitude." Rouge got up and headed into her kitchen. "You want something to drink?"

"Please," Amy said. "I think we'll be needing it, because we've still got a lot to talk about, don't we?"

* * *

Mkay, sorry I took a little longer with this one than the others, but I've been feeling a little out of it lately. Plus I had some trouble thinking of some idea for a chapter. This one's basically here as a filler, just to kinda sum up events, but it also serves the purpose of showing that Rouge and Amy are best good friends. R&R please. I hope this was a nice reprieve from all the killin' and bad stuff happening. 


	23. First Day

**CHAPTER 23: First Day**

"Hi Amy," Tails gretted as he climbed into Amy's Corvette after school let out on Friday.

"Hiya Tails," Amy greeted back. "Have a halfway decent day?"

"It was great," Tails said. "Some guy tried to hang me upside-down in a tree today in Ag, but Ms. Mary walked by in the hall, saw him through the windows, and carted him off to the principal's office." Both Tails and Amy had a good laugh about that one.

"So you got lucky today," she said. "Good, because we're usually a little busy on Fridays."

"I'm gonna have to remember to take it a little easier in PE from now on, huh?"

"You might want to, yeah. And try not to get knocked out in there anymore, too. Just stay near the coach the whole period, or sit on a basketball goal and stuff the ball down inside when someone passes it to you."

"I tried that before, but the coach saw me and yelled at me to get down. But, no one said I couldn't hover above one, so maybe I'll try that."

"Just watch yourself, in case some joker decides to throw something at you."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, what's that up there?" Tails pointed ahead of them.

"A lot of cops have been out today, pulling people over," Amy said, slowing down a bit. Tails looked at the speedometer and saw that they had been going seven over the speed limit. "I think they're on edge."

"Why?"

"Lot of murders lately. You heard about the one in the diner, right?"

"Yeah, I did. Sonic told me."

"Well, there was that one, then Espio, and I also heard about one where the bodies were nothing but bone and a few chunks of skin. They're bound to be a bit on edge with all that going on."

"I guess so." Tails shuddered and tried not to get any mental images of bodies with only a few chunks of skin left. Luckily, he succeeded.

"I got a few other things you might want to know before we get there. First..."

* * *

When she and Tails entered the diner, Amy pointed Tails to the back, so he could grab an apron, which was about the only kind of uniform to show he worked there. Graham walked over to her and asked, "That the kid?"

"Yeah, that's him," Amy said. "Go kinda easy on him, willya? Aside from this being his first day, he had a kinda rough day at school. Kids specifically target him for a punchtoy. He said today they tried to hang him upside down in a tree."

"That's the nice thing about school," Graham said. "You're either a small nerd, or a huge dumbass. There's no in-between, and no winning."

"You're right about that," Katie said as she walked over. "It's no wonder I spent most of my time getting revenge on people by egging their cars. I was just too small."

"I never would've guessed," Graham said carelessly. "Guess you've grown a bit since then, huh?" Katie narrowed her eyes, and Graham realized what he'd just said. "Sorry, I didn't mean it THAT way!" he exclaimed. Katie gave a careless little grin and walked away.

"You probably need to get back to work," Amy said. "Just show Tails the ropes for now, and have him work the register when things get busy. Keep him out of the way until he gets a pretty good feel for how everything works."

"Have you told him about Hell Sunday?" Graham asked.

"Well, no," Amy said, "but I will, don't worry."

"I don't care if he has advance warning, just as long as he can hit those keys in a blur and hit 'em right." With that Graham walked off to take orders at a booth.

* * *

"Whoa, how can anyone find anything back here?" Tails asked himself as he passed a large stack of boxes. He still hadn't found an apron, and he'd been searching nearly ten minutes. "Whoever stacked these must be retarded, or he just didn't read the labels." A moment later he heard a voice behind him.

"Who you?" asked a deep voice in what didn't sound like the most intelligent tone in the world. Tails turned around and saw a gray rabbit standing in front of him wearing gray sweats. A couple seconds later, he repeated, "Who you?"

"Uh, I'm Tails," Tails said, trying to decide if this guy was used to extreme heat or if he was just a retard, as it was almost stiflingly hot in the store room. The large rabbit set down a box on top of a bunch of others, crushing the one that had been on top a few seconds before. From the sound of it, the box had contained several smaller boxes of light bulbs.

"Uh oh," he said.

"Um, who are you?" Tails asked.

"Me Lance," said the rabbit, scratching the top of his head, as if he wasn't entirely sure. Tails recognized that name: he was the somewhat retarded guy Amy had told him about on the way from school. She was also the guy she warned him not to offend, because of his tendency to slug people when they did.

"Nice meeting you," he said. "Couldn't tell me where I could find an apron, could you?"

"Uh, cross hall, I think," Lance said after a few seconds, scratching his head again.

"Oh, okay. Thanks. Amy just said look in the back, she didn't say where." Tails left the storeroom and crossed the little hallway. Sure enough, behind the door there, he found a few spare aprons hanging up. After putting one on, he turned back toward the front of the restaurant to find out what he was supposed to do. As he passed the gray door leading to the kitchen, he turned to look at it- just in time to see it fly open and hit him square in the nose, and with a decent amount of force, no less.

"Coming through!" Katie's voice called out.

"Thanks for the heads-up," Tails mumbled, holding his nose in his hands.

"Oh, sorry," said Katie turning around as the door swung closed again. "Didn't see you there. You're Tails, right?"

"Yeah," Tails said, hoping his nose wasn't bleeding. "And you are?"

"Just call me Katie," she said. "Wanna help me with one of these? You can just follow me to the table, and I'll hand it out to 'em." Tails noticed she was holding a rather large tray of food in each hand.

"Yeah, sure," he said. He held up his hands as Katie lowered one of the trays for him to take, and he groaned slightly under its weight: it was heavier than Katie made it look.

"That's what I said the first couple dozen times, then I got used to it. If he wasn't such a slowpoke I'd have Lance helping me with 'em when he wasn't busy. And I don't mean slow physically, I mean mentally."

"Amy told me some of the more important things on the way here," Tails said, straining slightly. 

"Did she now? Well, then I reckon you know all about Hell Sunday, right?" Katie cracked a grin, even if she knew Tails couldn't see it.

"Hell Sunday...?" If fur could turn colors without some sort of dye, Tails's face would've turned pure white. They were approaching the booth the food was bound for, so he urged himself on, just a bit further.

"That's what we call it. See, down the street a ways is a church that lets out around noon on Sundays, and it seems like half the people in Station Square go there. Anyway, they apparently heard good things about us, because they started coming in every Sunday for lunch. Now at first, it wasn't too bad. Then they spread the gospel, and it seems like everyone in that church shows up for lunch, all at the same time. We get so busy that we need ALL hands on deck, including Amy. We even call Lance off of stacking boxes, and he helps me with some of the simpler stuff, like flipping burgers and frying up pizzas. By the time they all leave, we're all so wiped out that we got to close for an hour at about 2:30 to regain ourselves, then we reopen. I tell you, Amy's made of some tougher stuff than she looks, bless her heart. During that time she runs the place, takes orders, delivers them, works the register, little bit of everything. Tries to do too much, if you ask me. I say she earns every little bit she has, and then some. There's been more than one occasion I had to wake her up in her office 'cause she fell asleep trying to handle stacks of papers right after we got done with the church groups. Mind you, if she hadn't left me instructions to do that in case she did fall asleep, I'd've just left her alone." By this point, Tails was in awe. He hadn't realized Amy put so much work into running this place, and Graham had to call his name three times before he heard him.

"TAILS!" shouted the dark green salamander. Tails snapped back to attention. "Good, now that I've got your attention, I need you to come over here so I can show you how to work the register. It's a little tougher than it looks until you get the hang of it."

"Okay," Tails said. "Sorry about that."

"You'll have to learn not to get too off-track like that when Katie starts talking, because she does it a lot. Other than that, no problem. Still, it'll be good to have some extra help around here, especially when Sunday rolls around. I know Amy'll benefit a lot from it, even if the rest of us don't. Like Katie was saying, she needs it."

"Can't say Katie's the only one around here who does some talking, huh?"

* * *

Okey dokey, another chapter down. Amy picks up Tails from school and they both go in to work, and Graham and Katie start showing him the ropes. That is, after he gets lost trying to find an apron to put on to work in, and runs into Lance. Nice first day so far, then he gets nailed in the face by the kitchen door and Katie describes Hell Sunday(as they call it). Ooh, if only y'all could imagine the look on Tails's face... Well, at least the look I imagined, anyway. R&R please. 


	24. Let's Make A Deal

**CHAPTER 24: Let's Make A Deal**

"Heh, that was cool," Shadow said to himself as he walked into his little shack on the outskirts of Station Square. "No wonder kids like skateboarding down that thing." He threw himself down on his bed, kicking his skates off. He looked out the window into the trees and sighed. So peaceful and quiet out here, and people like Jehovah's Witnesses didn't bother him at crazy hours. He did still have a phone and mailbox, though. The IRS still kept tabs on him. "I need to check those things out more. Those kids come up with some cool stuff." Shadow looked his clock: it read 5:30 in the afternoon. At this moment, the phone rang. On the second ring, Shadow picked it up. Before he could say anything, a whispered voice spoke out.

"Don't talk," it said. "Just listen. I know what you want Shadow, and I can help you get it. I'm willing, if you're willing to help me first. If you want to know more, be in Station Square junkyard in an hour. That will leave you roughly fifteen minutes to think about it. It will take you at least forty-five minutes to get there, unless you want to piss the cops off and wind up being chased down for speeding, even on foot. If you're not there, you will lose your only chance." The person on the other end hung up, and so did Shadow.

"What the?" he whispered to himself. "Well, whoever it is has my attention."

* * *

Shadow reached Station Square junkyard in good time, and had about fifteen minutes to go before his hour was up. However, he only waited two minutes before a white mouse of 21 stepped out from behind a broken-down car. She wore a soft white dress without shoulder straps, that was held on by the pressure it put on her chest and breasts. At the waist it loosened off and flowed freely about her legs. She wore shiny white high-heeled shoes and carried herself in a royal fashion. The only part of her that wasn't white was her eyes, which shone a beautiful shade of green in the light of the setting sun. "Hello Shadow," she said. "My name is Salia. I'm glad you could come." 

"Are you the one who called me?" Shadow asked.

"Straight to business," Salia observed. "No, I didn't make that call. My... employer called you. My job is simply to pass along his message."

"Go on," Shadow said. Salia smiled.

"Glad to see you're so attentive. You'll need to be. My employer wishes to make a deal. You see, he is capable of unlocking your memories, which will reveal your past. However, he lacks what he needs to do so."

"What's that? And why does he care about my past at all? Something doesn't make sense."

"Well, there's something in it for him as well. He needs the seven Chaos Emeralds for his own means. He believes he's invented a machine that can harness their power and generate infinite amounts of power. Of course you know, free energy is exactly what the world wants. Imagine, never having to pay an electric bill ever again, never having to worry about fossil fuel depletion, any of that. However, he needs someone, that is, you, to obtain the Emeralds for him. He is able to manipulate the electronic impulses inside the brain to either supress memories, or reopen them. He would be willing to reward you in this way for bringing him what he needs."

"How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know he won't screw me over, or that he won't use the Emeralds for evil?"

"Would you like to see the apparatus and how it works? He can prove to you how the machine works."

"Just because it works the way you say doesn't mean he'll use it that way."

"Unfortunately Shadow, I cannot actually prove to you that he'll keep his word, except to say that he keeps his promises. All of them. I've never known him to make a promise and not keep it. Even then, all I can do is hope you'll trust his word. At least meet him and judge for yourself."

"I'll meet him, but that does not mean we have a deal. At least not yet."

"Thank you." Salia whistled loudly, and a moment later, a black limousine drove up beside them. The windows were tinted black, and Shadow couldn't see through them at all. The door on the passenger side opened and a man in his mid-30s leaned out, a black hedgehog much like Shadow.

"Good evening Shadow," he said in a sort of scratchy voice. "Come in and park yourselves on the hide." He patted the black leather seat across from himself. Shadow climbed in cautiously, and Salia climbed in right after, crossing her legs when she was in the car. The black hedgehog across from Shadow closed the door and turned to Shadow and said, "You can just call me Dave." Shadow took note of this guy's clothes, which consisted of a black tuxedo, shiny black shoes, and dark shades, which hid his relatively small eyes from view.

"Are you the employer?" Shadow asked.

"No, I'm not," Dave said. "Salia and I are his messengers. Well, two of them, anyway. Salia, do it before we start moving." Before Shadow could blink, a black cloth was thrown over his eyes and he could feel it being tied in a knot at the back of his head.

"What is this!?" Shadow demanded, throwing up one arm and catching Salia's wrist.

"We were instructed to blindfold you in case we had to show you to our employer," Salia said gently. "Please Shadow, just cooperate with us for a little while and everyone will be better off in the end." Shadow reluctantly let go of her wrist, and Salia finished tying the blindfold.

"Why all the secrecy?" Shadow asked.

"Oh Shadow, imagine how people would react if they knew where they could find technology capable of bringing free energy to the world," Dave said. "There are those who would hunt our employer down, kill him in his sleep, and steal the technology for their own personal gain."

"Hmph," was Shadow's response.

"Would you like a drink?" Dave asked.

"No," Shadow said.

"Suit yourself," Dave said.

"Relax Shadow," Salia said in a soothing voice. "We're not going to try anything funny. Our employer needs your help, and he'd skin us alive if we did anything to harm you." Shadow didn't reply, but he did relax a little.

* * *

"He's just behind this door Shadow," Salia said an hour later, motioning to a wooden door shrouded in shadows. "Even if you don't like what he says, please hear him out before you make any rash decisions." Salia left at this point, and Shadow knocked on the door. 

"Come in," answered a man's voice. He sounded young. Shadow pushed the door open and entered, closing the door behind him. "Welcome Shadow. Please, sit." Shadow looked across the room. Two armchairs were set up in front of a fireplace, which contained a roaring fire. Between the chairs was a coffee table with a tray across the top. Upon the tray was a steaming tea kettle, several smaller containers that Shadow presumed to contain cream, sugar, and the like, two small teacups and a plate stacked with crumpets. Shadow crossed the room and sat in the empty chair, and took a look at the owner of the voice. He was an average-sized person wearing a tuxedo, shoes like Dave's, and a mask with small eyeholes and a mouth hole. His species was impossible to determine as of yet.

"What's with the disguise?" Shadow asked.

"My face was horribly scarred in an accident several years ago," the person replied. "I prefer to keep the scarring hidden in the presence of company. But, please, you've had a long journey. Would you fancy a cup of tea, or perhaps a crumpet?"

"No, thanks," Shadow said. The person in the mask poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip before continuing.

"As Salia and Dave have undoubtedly informed you, I have need of your assistance. I assume you are here because you did not trust what Salia told you, and she asked you to at least meet me before you made a decision. I will start with my name. My name is Blank. My father was a little dull, before you ask."

"I wasn't going to. I've met a couple people with some... different names before. But I want you to answer some questions first. How do you know so much about me?"

"I have been watching you for some time, Shadow. I know a great deal about you. When you sleep, you rest little. You dream of a girl named Maria, but you do not know who she is, what she looks like, or what her connection is to you." Shadow was stunned.

"Alright, you've been watching me, I can see that," he said. "Why did you call me?"

"Because you are one of very few people I can count on for the job I am going to ask of you, and of those few people, I thought you would be the best to try to reach out to, because I am able to give you what you desire. But I find it strange. I fail to see why you do not simply ask your friends what they know."

"Well, I... Um..." Shadow hesitated. "I guess I just wanted to find out for myself..."

"You realize that if you accept my offer, you won't technically be doing this yourself, do you not?"

"I guess I'd rather work for it than simply ask someone and get it all from them. I would have no way to properly thank them."

"So, it's a matter of expressing your gratitude. That, I suppose, makes more sense than you preferring to find out for yourself." Blank took another sip of tea, then set down his cup. "I suppose you want to see my apparatus, to be sure that I am not lying, correct?"

"Yeah, that's be nice."

"Follow me." Blank stood up and walked toward a door hidden in shadows off to his left. Shadow stood up and followed him. The two of them walked down a flight of stairs behind the door, down a short corridor, then down another flight of stairs. Blank said, "I must keep the device well-hidden, in the event that someone discovers my whereabouts. I rarely come here now that it's completed. We are 600 feet underground. I'm sure you noticed the downward feeling you experienced during the ride here."

"Yeah, I did. I figured it was some sort of elevator."

"Perceptive one, you are." Blank pulled a key out of a pocket inside his jacket and opened a final door with it. He beckoned Shadow into the room, then entered behind him.

"This is it?" Shadow looked at a square blue machine roughly the size of a printing press, with various monitors, panels, and seven slots shaped like large gems.

"Yes, this is it. It's capable of converting many types of energy into other useful forms, such as heat into electricity or vice versa. Observe." Blank held up a AA battery, which he picked up from a table beside the machine. He flipped open a small panel in the machine and inserted the battery. Instantly, a light bulb in a fixture in the ceiling clicked on. It clicked off the second Blank removed the battery.

"Batteries are made for powering things, though," Shadow said skeptically. "I'm not convinced."

"Exhale into the machine," Blank said, motioning to the same panel. Shadow stepped up and exhaled onto the panel. Nothing happened for a moment, then the light clicked on again for a few seconds. "You see? That minor amount of heat fueled the light for those few seconds."

"Incredible," Shadow breathed. "You really can produce free energy with this thing."

"Yes. I need the Chaos Emeralds to utilize it to its full potential. So, will you help me?"

"Alright, I guess I can lend a hand."

"Excellent. Thank you Shadow, you will not regret this. One word of warning though: do not tell anyone what you're doing. You can probably imagine why."

"Yeah, I can."

"Good. Now then, Salia is waiting outside to transport you home. She will provide you a case in which to store the Emeralds as you collect them. Good luck." Shadow left, going back the way he came, and Blank dropped his oily manner. "And you better be worth it. What will we be letting into the mines living area next? The slaves?" He pounded on the machine with one arm. "Alright sweetheart, back to work!" A green female cat of about 12 pushed open the lid on the fake machine and climbed out, rushing off through a hidden side door to return to work. Blank said to himself, "Still, love my genius. Stick a slave in a box, give her a light switch and call it a miracle machine. How gullible did that guy have to be?"

* * *

Mkay, now I'm starting to throw Shadow in there a bit more. He got lured to what he thought was an underground research center by a mysterious phone call, a white mouse in a white dress, and a black hedgehog in a tux. There he met Blank(also wearing a tux and a mask), and was fooled into thinking Blank had a miracle machine that could transform some warm breath into electricity. Upon leaving, Blank banged on the fake machine and sent a slave girl scampering back to work. Seems he got his job done though. As for you curious types, this is how the "machine" worked: Blank stuck the battery in, the slave girl got a slight shock, and flicked on a light. When Shadow breathed on it, she felt the breath through small openings inside the panel and flicked the light on a few seconds later. Also, as for how Blank, being a robot, drank that tea, he simply put it in his mouth and let it flow into a small container he'd placed in there for the duration of his meeting with Shadow. Nifty huh? R&R please. I can't figure out why, but I HAVE to know how y'all like this chapter. 


	25. New Love

**CHAPTER 25: New Love**

_Wonder if I shouldn't go to see her_, Knuckles thought to himself, punching a large oak tree. It was the largest tree on Angel Island, and his favorite punchtoy. _No one knows the Master Emerald is here, so I really don't have to worry about its safety. Well, she does, but I'll be with her, so even if she wanted it, she couldn't slip away from me._ Knuckles launched his final punch, which he always threw his full body into. His fist collided with the tree, which shook but stood strong.

"You are as strong as they say," a raspy male voice said from nowhere. Knuckles whipped around, his fists raised. He saw a tall man, perhaps seven feet tall, standing before him, partly hidden by a smaller tree. The man wore a hooded brown cloak that hid his whole body, except for an opening where his face should have been. The only problem was, he had no face, yet his voice came from directly behind the hood.

"Who are you?" Knuckles demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"I bear a warning," said the stranger, slowly stepping out from behind the tree and toward Knuckles.

"Stay back!" the echidna warned.

"A new beast has arisen" the stranger said, ignoring Knuckles and still walking slowly forward. "I see it, growing more powerful by the day. It has no gender, and works through others. It turns the innocents into its pawns, it enslaves the masses, it forces them to do its bidding. It has no name, no heart, no mercy. It would take from you all that you hold dear, your friends, your family, even those who you feel close to but do not feel close to you. Even now it is hatching its wicked plot, and has sent an unknowing agent to gather the Seven."

"The 'Seven?'" Knuckles repeated. "What seven? Why don't you start making sense?"

"For now, there is nothing you can do. Cherish your time with your loved ones, for they may be leaving you in time." The stranger turned away from Knuckles and began to cackle. Knuckles clenched his teeth and rushed forward to catch the one in the cloak, but he showed surprising speed. He ran toward the edge of the flying island, turned his back to the edge, and jumped backward, falling straight down. Knuckles stopped at the edge and looked down after him, but he was nowhere to be seen against the mass of blue that was the ocean below.

"Who was that? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Knuckles closed his eyes and shook his head. The sun began to sink over the horizon.

* * *

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Rouge called out, hearing a knock on her door. It was a clear Saturday morning, and she had scarcely been out of bed for an hour. At least she'd had time to get cleaned up, brush her teeth, have a cup of coffee, and all that good stuff. When she pulled open her front door, she found none other than Knuckles on her doorstep. He was wearing a red jogging suit that wasn't really his look.

"Surprise," he said with a grin, holding up a bouquet of roses. The flowers bloomed a brilliant shade of red with deep green stems and leaves. Rouge smiled, hugged him, and took them.

"Hi Knuckles," she said. "Wow, these are beautiful! Where'd you get them?"

"They grow rampant all over Angel Island," he said casually. "Thought you'd like them."

"I do," she said. "Thank you so much! Don't just stand there, come in!" She stood back from the door and gave Knuckles room to walk in. Upon entering, he took a look around and saw that the place was very... lightly furnished. Rouge closed the door and walked into the kitchen to put the roses in water.

"If you put those in some potting soil, they'll grow new roots and you can keep them pretty much wherever you like," Knuckles called after her.

"I'll do that later," she called back. A moment later, she walked back into the living room, where Knuckles had made himself at home. She sat down on the couch beside him, rather closer than was necessary, and wrapped her arms around him. "So," she said, "what brings you here this early in the morning? It's like 8:00!"

"You," he said simply. "I wanted to see you, so I did. By the way, nice nightgown."

"Thanks," Rouge said. She was wearing a straight-white nightgown that only went down to about her knees. "Couldn't call me first?" she joked. "There's gotta be a phone SOMEWHERE on that island, right?"

"Well, even if there was, it probably wouldn't have been the right phone book! And I don't have any money on me, so pay phones are no go." Knuckles had a huge grin on his face.

"Well, at least you caught me on a day where I didn't have any plans," Rouge said with a smile. "Any idea where you wanna go today? Y'know, just the two of us for the day?"

"Well, I saw an ad for a mini-carnival in the paper. It was supposed to open today."

"When'd you see that?"

"Couple days ago when I left the island for a quick swim at the beach. Someone left a page full of ads in the sand."

"Well, guess that works. What time does it open?"

"Around noon, I think it said. That gives us four hours to kill until then."

"Well shoot, what can we do in all that time?"

"I can think of a lot of things... A couple of them shouldn't even be on the list either."

"I can imagine. Well, we could always go out and have breakfast first. I know this place that makes good bacon and eggs."

"Okay."

* * *

When noon finally rolled around, Knuckles and Rouge had pretty well caught up on everything that had happened since they'd last seen each other. Knuckles had just finished telling Rouge about the weird guy at Angel Island as they were walking up to the booth to get some tickets. Rouge had long since changed out of her nightgown into a white tank top that left her belly button explosed, gray windbreaker pants, and white tennis shoes.

"Ah, don't worry about him," she said. "He was just an old loony. Nothing to worry about."

"I suppose you're right," Knuckles said, reaching into his pocket for his credit card. This wasn't a credit card in the traditional sense; rather, it was a debit card for paying the payee in full, on the spot, directly from the payer's account(the currency, of course, being credits). After paying and getting their 100 tickets(that's a lot when all the games and the few rides only cost one apiece), Knuckles and Rouge set off toward the game area, since most of the rides were scary... for three-year-olds(childish, for those of you who are of strong... God knows what, but of weak mind). They rather quickly noticed a large crowd gathered around one spot, which wasn't very large. Knuckles recognized this as the standard formation of the innocent bystander watching a fight.

"Hey, check it out," Rouge said. "Looks like a fight or something. I can't see anything, though. I'll be back in a few seconds." She spread her powerful bat wings and flew straight up, rising to twenty feet. She then flew out over the crowd and took a look at what was going on before flying back to Knuckles.

"See anything?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll say," Rouge said with a grin. "Some really big guy's in the middle of the crowd taking on some guy that looks like he has beer and pussy every morning for breakfast, before he gets out of bed. The big guy's winning. The sign said anyone who could beat him would get 2000 credits. The only catch is, you lose, and you lose the fifty credits you gotta pay, you lose a lot of blood, a lot of pride, and maybe your testicles. Well, actually it just says you lose your money, but the rest of that seems like a fair assumption."

"I wonder if I shouldn't go and ruin his day," Knuckles said with an evil grin, popping his knuckles.

"Be my guest," Rouge said. "Not like I can stop you. Just try not to kill him. It would be a SHAME for him to put all that work into buffing up like that, just to get killed playing his own game," she added with an equally evil grin. From the cheers that rose up around them, the big guy had stomped the (more than likely drunken)challenger. Knuckles took this opportunity to make his way through the crowd, heading for the center. Rouge flew up and got herself a good viewpoint above. Knuckles reached the center of the crowd just as Rouge had found her place. The battered challenger from twenty seconds before was being led off to the side to a card swiping machine to pay up.

"Well, don't you look tough!" exclaimed the behemoth in the center. He was about 6'7", weighed 300 pounds, had big front teeth(even by rabbit standards(this mattered because he was a rabbit)), had black fur all over his body, and black leather pants. His massive chest and stomach were covered in large muscles so tight that Rouge could've sworn that she could get a diamond out of them by sticking a lump of coal in his belly button and coming back two weeks later. His ears were tied back in a mock ponytail.

"Hey, I may be smaller than you, but my fists are sure bigger than yours!" Knuckles retorted. This was true, his fists WERE quite a little bigger than the big rabbit's. "Before I ruin your day and your fun, you got a name?"

"Folks call me Slug, mostly because that's how I solve my problems!" exclaimed big, black, and dumb-as-a-brick.

"People call me Knuckles. Here's why!" Knuckles darted forward before Slug had time to get back on guard. He threw a vicious uppercut at Slug's jaw, smashing right into the big rabbit's chin and forcing his head back unnaturally far. Slug staggered back two steps, then he slowly began to fall back. Once he was down and out, Knuckles grinned and said, "Timber." At this point, Rouge flew down to meet him.

"Nice shot," she said with a wide grin on her face.

"Eh, lucky punch," Knuckles replied. "Least now I'll have some more spending money for next time."

"Assuming you can catch him," Rouge said, pointing. The weasel who'd been collecting people's credits was trying to sneak off with the card swiping machine. He saw that he was spotted and made a mad dash for it.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU DICKHEAD!" Knuckles shouted, chasing that fool down.

* * *

"Well, today's certainly been eventful, hasn't it?" Rouge asked that evening, sitting on the beach next to Knuckles. The sun was setting, its beautiful golden color reflected perfectly in the water, creating the image of twin suns. The sky was more of a pink color, with purple clouds here and there.

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that I hit that button as hard as I could, didn't make it halfway to the bell, then watched you hit it with maybe half your strength and nearly break the thing," Knuckles said, grinning sheepishly. After he'd beaten down Slug and gotten his money, his luck had gone downhill. He couldn't shoot baskets, he got stomped in the go-cart races, he couldn't play Skee-ball for shit, and so on.

"Oh, that's right, I told you I was going to explain that," Rouge said. "It's simple, really. It's an old trick. See, the botton is sticking straight up in the air, ready to be hit. The hammer, while both surfaces are totally flat, is fixed. One side of it is perfectly aligned, while the other is slanted a little. If you hit with the slanted side, the impact on the button is weak as anything. Hit with the correctly-placed side, and it's easy to ring the bell."

".....Oh. Um, I knew that all along. I just wanted to see if you knew!" Knuckles put on a clueless face, and Rouge laughed out loud.

"At least it wasn't a TOTAL loss," she said. "Getting to watch you nearly beat the money out of that weasel was pretty fun."

"I should've hit him" Knuckles said. "But hey, he paid up, so I didn't have to sink to his level."

"There you go," Rouge said. She lay her head on Knuckles's right shoulder and looked out on the water. After a few moments, she said, "I love the beach. The sunset's beautiful, the air is fresh and clean, the sound of the waves is so relaxing... Most of all, no one's around for moments like this." And without warning, she reached up, turned Knuckles's face toward her own, and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was short and shallow, yet still soft and warm. She broke apart after maybe three seconds.

"I love you Rouge," Knuckles said, putting his arm around Rouge's shoulders.

* * *

Mkay, here's the next chapter fer ya. Sorry I took so long with it, but tht's what happens when you're trying to fight off writer's block, the blah sort of feeling you get from waking up too early every morning, and the tired feeling that school leaves you with. So, the scoop on this one is, Knuckles goes and visits Rouge a bit early in the morning on Saturday, and the two of them decide to hit the mini-carnival that's in town(it mainly consists of kiddie rides and a lot of games). Knuckles beats some dude down, get 2000 credits, and has bad luck the rest of the day. But the climax comes that evening, when Rouge suddenly kisses him on the beach. Nice one Rouge. Anywho, I'm hoping this one gets a few more reviews than my last few have gotten. From what one of my buddies told me on AIM, it may have to do with me putting R&R in every chapter. Just a reminder, when I put that in there, I don't mean don't bug me about the next chapter. S'matter of fact, I like when people do. Motivates me, I guess. So, as always, R&R please. Hope you Knux/Rouge fans enjoy this one.


	26. Hell Sunday

**CHAPTER 26: Hell Sunday**

"You'd better eat this quick, kiddo," Katie said to Tails as soon as he and Amy entered the restaurant, setting two plates of biscuits and gravy on the counter next to the register. Tails took one and Amy took the other; Graham and Lance were already halfway through plates of their own, and Katie returned to her half-eaten plate as well.

"You're gonna need everything you've got, I guarantee you," Graham said through a mouthful of biscuit. "You've got the register today. Amy and me have the tables and Katie and Lance have the kitchen."

"It can't be too hard just to sit there and hit keys, then wait for them to swipe their cards, can it?" Tails asked.

"A lot of these people order big," Amy said. "I've seen it firsthand. I worked the register before I hired you. You've got to be FAST, otherwise you're gonna have a long line before long. People get in our way, and things get even worse. They'll be swiping while you're keying. Trust me, your arms and legs are gonna be hurting before noon, because you won't be able to sit down." Tails gulped, and started shoveling down his food.

"Just do your best and no one'll think any less of you," Graham said. "Well, the less patient customers might, but you've at least got an excuse. Now, I've set you a shortcut key on the register. It'll ring up Katie's soup. It's just above the 9 key. You'll be using that a LOT. That soup is our big seller. In fact, when we close down in the afternoon, if there's any of it left, that's what we all have for lunch, every time."

"I'll try to save some for you," Katie said, wiping her face on a napkin. "Believe me, if you've ever had a better bowl of chicken and rice soup, I'll quit my job and go join the Crips."

"Where'd you get the recipe?" Tails asked through a mouthful of his own biscuits and gravy.

"It's an old family recipe," Graham spoke up. "Least, that's what she told me. Needless to say, the recipe is secret."

"My mama told me the first time I made it for the family, the recipe had been in the family ever since my great great great grandma's days," Katie said. "She also told me that neither she, my grandma, or my great grandma could make it quite like I do."

"That's quite a compliment," Tails said.

"That's what I said," Katie replied. "You might wanna hurry up with that. The church people usually aren't the first ones in here. There are still the occasional stragglers."

"Okay," Tails said. He resumed shoveling down his food and didn't say another word. About the time he got done, Lance made his first sound: a massive belch.

"TRICK OR TREAT!" he bellowed. Tails stared at him for a moment, blinking a few times, and the others just ignored him. When Amy noticed Tails staring, she nudged him to get his attention.

"Don't worry about him," she said. "We get along just fine with him. We keep him in the back, and no one ever knows he's there."

"Um, right," Tails said.

"Well, if y'all are done, I'd suggest we get to work, and hope for the best," Katie said, taking away everyone's empty plates.

* * *

"Oh my God!" Tails cried out when he saw the sheer number of cars pulling into the restaurant's parking lot. Every parking space was filled before two minutes were up, and then people began to pull into the lot across the street, cross the road, and come into this diner instead of the one whose parking lot they were using. 

"Are they coming?" Katie called out from the back.

"There's dozens of them!" Tails called back. "How are we gonna handle them all!?"

"One at a time," Graham said calmly, walking up to the front. "Remember that shortcut key I set. Just do the best you can, and no one'll think any less of you." He leaned in close to Tails as people started walking in the door and whispered, "Do it for Amy, okay? She does too much, and she deserves a break."

"Okay," Tails mumbled back. Graham turned back toward the customers.

"Welcome folks," he called out. "Just find yourselves a place to sit down and we'll get to you just as quick as we can!"

_Man, I guess they sure do earn their pay, don't they?_ Tails thought to himself, thinking about what Graham, Katie, Amy, and Lance all went through every week.

* * *

"God, my hands hurt!" Tails cried out during the afternoon lunch break. Despite only working the register, he still had a huge amount to do once people started finishing their meals. He thought the computer teacher at school could type fast, but he figured, a few weeks of this and he'd be doing even better. Graham was sitting across from him, popping his wrists, which continued popping an unnatural amount of times. 

"Oh, trust me, once you've been on for a while and we get you doing stuff other than the register, you'll REALLY know what Hell Sunday's all about," he said. "I don't mean that to sound intimidating, but I'm sure you noticed those huge trays of food we were carrying back and forth."

"Good news y'all!" Katie's voice called from the kitchen. "We got some soup left over! Actually, I think we might have enough for everyone to have seconds!"

"All RIGHT!" Graham exclaimed.

"YAY!" Lance yelled. Amy didn't call anything out, but the look on her face showed she was just as glad as the others.

"I'm gonna have to try this stuff," Tails said. "You guys make it sound as good as that first breath of air after you've come within a second of drowning."

"Ah man, you have NO idea!" Graham said. "I don't know what it is about that soup, but I swear to God, the first bite you take, you can kiss the bad feelings goodbye, and hope you've got room for the good!" Seconds later, out came Katie with another tray of bowls, these ones all full of hot steamy soup. As soon as she set the tray down in the booth and sat down, everyone grabbed a bowl. Tails looked down into his bowl. Through the steam, he could see that the soup didn't have a lot of broth. It was thick with cooked rice, carrots, celery, and chunks of chicken. He reached for his spoon, plunged it into his bowl, and raised it to his mouth. After blowing on it, he took that first bite. The warm, fuzzy sensation that flooded his body was surpassed only by the flavor of the soup. The combination of that little broth, the rice, vegetables, and chicken was indescribable. A little bite of heaven was the only accurate description. And heaven was sweet. He put down his spoon, picked up that bowl, and drank the whole thing, right there in one breath. When he set it down, with some broth dribbling down his front, he had a warm, contented smile on his face. Lance did the same thing, except he didn't even bother using his spoon for the first bite.

"You were right," Tails said lazily. "I don't think I'll be able to find anything to complain about the rest of the day, except maybe if we run out of soup before I get enough."

"There's more in the kitchen," Katie said. "Go help yourselves." Tails and Lance did just that. By the time they got back, the others had finished their first helpings. Graham and Katie got up to go get more, but Amy stretched and yawned widely.

"I'd better go and finish those tax forms," she said, getting up and heading toward her office. Tails and Lance chugged their bowls of soup right there. Once Graham and Katie got back, Tails pushed his bowl aside and set his hands in his lap.

"I can't believe Amy would prefer to do tax forms than take a break after all those customers came in at one time," he said.

"I think she'd prefer to take a break, but she doesn't," Katie said. "It's like I told you before, she does too much. We all do a lot around here. It's just the five of us. It WAS just the four of us until you came along. We earn our pay around here, that's for sure. Every Sunday, a little while after the break's over, one of us has to go in and wake Amy up and tell her to go home and leave things around here to us. She never does, though. She goes right back to whatever paperwork she was working on, and doesn't leave until she's done with that. In fact, she's the only one who comes in every single day, except for Lance. I think his mama has him come in every day so he has something to do that's worth doing."

"Why doesn't she hire more people if it's so tough?" Tails asked.

"She's hired every applicant so far," Graham said, giving Katie a moment to eat some more. "Me, Katie, Lance, and you. There's just not enough applicants. Did she hire you pretty quickly when she talked to you?"

"Yeah, now that I think about it," Tails said, thinking back to his conversation in Amy's car. "She didn't even ask me for my job permit. I DO have one, in case you're wondering." Graham pointed at a sign taped to the front window. Tails read it backwards. It was a "Help Wanted" sign.

"We've had a help wanted sign up ever since I can remember," Katie said. "We actually change that thing often, because kids like flinging stuff at it. Can't imagine why. Even Lance knows right off the bat what you mean when you say 'change the sign'. I figure, if we get a couple more applicants, one of these days we might actually be able to make up a night shift too. Course, we probably wouldn't be making as much money as people who have a college education anyore, but I hardly know what to do with all mine."

"We make as much money as college graduates?" Tails repeated.

"Yeah," Graham answered. "We make eight credits an hour on normal days, and we make twenty-five per hour on Sundays, to compensate us for the huge workload." Tails's eyes went wide when he heard that. Graham went on, saying, "That was Amy's idea. At first we tried to object, but she insisted, since we all went home pretty much exhausted every Sunday night. But, looking back on it now, I'd say we've kind of changed our perspective on all that. Every week, it seems worse in some way or another."

"Course, now that we got someone on the register the whole day," Katie said, "I know someone around here whose job is just that much easier. I know Amy wants the place to be a success, but there's a fine line between keeping things running smoothly and working yourself sick." At this point, the door opened and in stepped Sonic.

"Hey Sonic, what are you doing here?" Tails asked when he saw who it was. "We're closed right now, if you came to eat."

"Eh, actually I came to see how the new job was going," Sonic said, strolling over. "So, how's it going?"

"Today's just been crazy," Tails said. "The worst of it's over, but we're not closed for the day just yet. See, there's a nice-size church just down the road, and when they let out, EVERYONE comes flocking. At least, it seems like all of them." No one had noticed until now, but Lance had produced a small action figure and was making a visual comparison: the figure was a Sonic figure.

"IT SONIC!" Lance yelled, jumping up. "IT SONIC! AMY! AMY, IT SONIC!" He ran back toward Amy's office, yelling the whole way.

"What is his problem?" Sonic asked, staring.

"He's retarded," Tails said. "I mean that literally. He is actually a mental retard. Just don't say anything offensive to him. He doesn't realize that it's wrong, but he has a tendency to punch people out for it, from what I've heard." About this time, Lance came rushing back out, dragging Amy by one arm: he evidently thought it was imperative that she met Sonic, though he didn't realize she already knew him.

"Hi Sonic," she said, taking her arm back.

"Hi Amy," he replied. "You're looking nice today."

"Thanks," she said. "Wish I felt the same way. It gets CRAZY around here on Sundays."

"I've heard," he replied, motioning to Tails. "I came by to see how his new job was going."

"Is that it?" Amy asked with a mock tone of disappointment sadness.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sonic said with a grin. "Wanna go for a quick walk, since I went so far outta my way to see you guys?"

"Ah, I guess so," Amy said. "I guess I can just finish those stupid tax forms later."

"We'll hold down the fort here," Tails said. "I'm sure things won't get so bad we need you back to be able to keep up." Just as a little precaution, he knocked on the table(Murphy's Lawnullified).

"Alright," Amy said. "I'll be back in a little while. Don't burn the place down on me!" After Amy and Sonic had left, Graham grinned widely.

"I think someone has herself a boyfriend," he said.

"Yeah," Katie said. "She actually pried herself away from those tax forms when he asked. Least she's finally taking a real break from all this."

* * *

Alrighty, sorry I took so long with this chapter. It's a little bit longer, and I've been feeling really bad as of late. Well, it'll pass once the winter's over(I'm more of a summer person). Review this bad boy, please. 


	27. Evil Operations

**CHAPTER 27: Evil Operations**

"What do you have to report this time, Black?" growled the mysterious figure in the shadows.

"We've suspended production of the bug, as you ordered," Black replied. "Also, we attempted to transform the slaves into cyborgs, but it didn't work like we thought. All five subjects died as we attempted to connect the mechanical parts to their bodies. We're currently trying to figure out why they died, but for now the cause of death is determined to be loss of blood."

"Forgetful, organic doctors and nurses are able to very efficiently attach artificial limbs to patients in hospitals after amputations," growled the voice of the figure. "Machines do not forget, nor do they have to worry about trifle things like unsteady hands. Machines are superior to those organic beings, yet they are outdone by them time and time again. You find out why the subjects died and you correct the problem. We cannot continue to lose subjects. You know how great a risk we run of being discovered if we continue to take too many slaves."

"Yes Master," Black said. "Also, some of the slaves have gotten a little sluggish as of late. Do you wish us to execute one for the rest to see?"

"No, not this time. This time, I want a selection. Cremate any that are unfit to work. I don't care if you kill them first, but get it done."

"Yes, Master."

"Also, I want new slaves taken if you are forced to cremate more than five. Now get going."

"Yes, Master." Black stood up and backed out of the room, bowing. Once he was outside, he turned and started toward an elevator down the hall. As he reached the elevator, it opened.

"What were the instructions, Black?" asked Blank, standing inside.

"We are to find out the problem with the cyborg conversion, for one thing," Black replied. "As for the sluggish slaves, we have been instructed to initiate a selection. We are to cremate any who are unfit to work. Whether or not we kill them first doesn't matter as long as we get it done. If we cremate more than five, new slaves are to be taken."

"Alright," Blank said. "You want me to oversee the selection?"

"Yes, and I'll return and oversee the autopsies on the five dead subjects," Black said. Black's stop came just a few seconds later, then Blank continued on down, into the underground. He emerged from the elevator just off the room where he had met Shadow days before. He continued through a few more rooms, where ten of his subordinates were watching over the slaves. There were at least 100 people of various species working in the room behind the glass. A large freight elevator was located in one side of that room, through which more people were bringing more raw materials. On various monitors in one wall of the observation room, at least 1000 more people were working inside of dimly-lit mines, mining various ores. Some were working on gold, some were working on quartz, some were working trolleys. Inside the large room adjacent to the observation room, people were performing all manner of tasks, such as smelting. On one side of the room, the busiest side, at least twenty people were shooting air into iron and turning it into steel.

"How are we supposed to deal with the lazier slaves, sir?" asked one of the subordinates, a security unit smaller than Blank. It was modeled the same, only it was a dull gray color, as were the rest.

"Selection time, boys," Blank said. "We're cremating the weak ones this time. Dead or alive doesn't matter. I'm overseeing."

"Yes sir!" all ten robots cried in unison, standing at attention and saluting. A second later, they were all leaving the room, single file. A few more seconds passed, and they emerged inside the large processing plant. Inside the observation room, Blank pressed a button, and bells sounded throughout the processing plant and mines. The slaves inside the mines all dropped their tools and marched into the processing plant, many of them deathly afraid of what they'd find there, since they all knew it was too early for the day to be over. They all began to emerge from the freight elevator in large groups, until they were all inside the processing plant. All this took a few minutes, but the security units were patient. All the slaves stood at attention, all of them in specific groups. Men on one side of the room, women on the other. Blue people in this group, red ones in that one. Children stood at the back of the plant, several of them crying. Their parents, however, didn't make a move to comfort them for fear of the punishment they would receive. The security units began to call roll, each slave responding when the number tattooed on their upper left arm was called. When the roll had been called, one of the units stepped forward.

"Unscheduled selection, people!" he called out. Several people in each block gasped in unison, and a few of them began to silently shed tears, for they just knew they would be selected- for death. The security unit began to call out each block by gender and color(like blue males or pink females). As each block was called, the people in that block were forced to strip down to their birthday suits and march past the security units for a thorough inspection. The units were looking at muscle mass, motor functions, health, injuries, etc. When each slave was waved past, they returned to their block and put their clothing back on. When the inspection was done, the slaves were ordered to return to work, and the security units returned to the observation room, except for one.

"Tell me the numbers you stored in your databank, and I'll have them disposed of," Blank said in a neutral tone.

"I think we have something going around, sir," the unit that seemed to be in charge said. "Thirty slaves were diagnosed as ill. I've sent a message to the medical team with the symptoms. We should receive a diagnosis in a few minutes. We had seventeen males infected, ten females, and three children."

"I will have the twenty-seven adults dealt with," Blank said. "Send the children to the medical team and have them cared for until they are in good health." The head unit nodded and began to list the numbers it had taken down. When Blank had them stored in his short-term databank, he left the room and headed to the lounge where he had met Shadow. He looked down at his hands and shook his head.

"I have the blood of so many people on my hands," he said out loud. "Why does Master force us to do all this? Why take slaves instead of using robots to do it all? So many things I do not understand..."

"It is not your purpose to understand, Blank," said a voice behind Blank's chair. Blank recognized the voice as that of his master, and accordingly jumped up, knelt down and bowed his head.

"Forgive me Master," he said. "I did not mean to question your actions and motives."

"I will overlook it this time, but do not let me find out you questioned me again. It is not your purpose to know these things, it is simply your purpose to do as I say. I created you, and I have the power to destroy you if I so desire."

"Yes, Master."

"How was the selection?"

"Thirty are ill, Master. Seventeen male, ten female, three children. I have ordered the children to the medical wing, and I shall have the adults dealt with shortly."

"Good."

"Master, I crave to know, and I beg you tell me, why kill off adults who are still of working age, and are simply afflicted with some minor illness?"

"It is simple logic, Blank. The medical wing is minimally guarded, as the invalids are too weak to try anything. However, what if a healthy slave managed to fool security units into sending him- or her-self to the medical wing? Would he or she not stand a good chance of escape from there? What if he or she escaped from us and told the world that we exist? Children, however, are not smart or credible enough for this. Even if one managed to escape, who would believe that we had over 1100 people enslaved down here?"

"I understand, Master."

"Go down to the field corps and order more slaves taken, then go deal with the selected slaves."

"Yes Master." Blank backed out of the room, closing the door on the way out. Out in the hall, he turned and made for another section of the underground compound.

"And if you or anyone ever questions or opposes me again, you shall all feel the wrath of Skull."

* * *

There we have it. Just a quick glimpse at what our evil bastard(Skull) does with slaves, and the treatment they get on a day-to-day basis. According to what I read, that whole selection thing was similar to something that happened at the death camps during the Holocaust. Sucks, don't it? And, as I previously noted, our villain now has a (spoken)name: Skull. Maybe I'll kill your curiosity and give a description one of these chapters. Anywho, rate it when you're done reading it, plz. 


	28. The Relatively Successful Date

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Scary Movie or any of its affiliated characters. Same thing for Jeopardy! and its contestants. I also know that Terminator and Scary Movie weren't released just weeks apart from each other, but this is my story. So blah.

* * *

**CHAPTER 28: The Relatively Successful Date**

"I'm Gail Hailstorm, here at Lover's Lookout," said the reporter. "It's dark, it's in the middle of nowhere, and it's where hormone-driven teens like to come and fool around. So very likely, we're about to see someone get killed. Okay, sure enough, there's a girl in this car, blouse unbuttoned, all alone. Let's see if she'll have a word with us." She strode over to the car. "Hi, I'm Gail Hailstorm, author of the new book, _You're Next_."

"Oh yeah!" said the girl, her face brightening.

"Can you tell us your name please?" asked Gail.

"It's Heather, and-' the girl began, but Gail cut her off.

"Heather, can you tell us what you're doing out here so late?" she asked.

"Well, me and my boyfriend were making out, but we heard a noise and he went to check it out," Heather said. "But that was like ten minutes ago."

"Heather, has it crossed your little mind that your boyfriend was probably murdered and that you're about to be slaughtered next?" Gail asked.

"Really? No way!" Heather exclaimed.

"Way!" said Gail. "Heather, good luck!" At this point a man clad in all black with a knife and a white mask ran up, grabbed Heather, pulled her out of her car window, and stabbed her. Gail went nuts with excitement, exclaiming, "Kenny! Kenny are you getting this?! Heather! Heather, can you tell us what you're feeling?"

"Lots of pain!" Heather cried out as she was stabbed again and again. "Gail, help! Please help me!"

"Sorry Heather, I would but it's sweeps!" said Gail. She turned to the killer as he threw Heather's body aside. "Sir, sir can you tell us your name?"

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here!" the killer yelled. "I'm just trying to do my job- hey get that camera off me!"

"Kenny, run!" Gail yelled. The man holding the camera followed after Gail, who ran into the woods for all she was worth. Her next words came out in a more desperate tone. "KENNY! Kenny, move your fat ass! Kenny! Kenny, he's right behind you!"

"This mother's chasing me!?" Kenny cried. "Gail! AGH!" The sound of Kenny being stabbed rang out, followed by a thud and everything going black. The audience was cracking up by this point, people were laughing uncontrollably, and anyone who had been eating or drinking was now spitting out whatever was in their mouth with laughter. Sonic and Amy sat in the back row, under the projector. They had gone to catch the evening showing of _Scary Movie_, the new comedy they'd seen advertised on TV. And so far, it was living up to that description.

"Oh my God!" Amy managed to spit out through fits of laughter. "Who thinks these things up!? God, I'm so glad I went to the bathroom before the movie started!"

"I'm almost afraid to finish watching it!" Sonic exclaimed. "I think I might pass out from laughing too hard!" Unfortunately, this wasn't to be, because everything suddenly went pitch-black, and people began gasping and chattering.

"What's going on?" Amy asked in a nervous tone. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but the thought that Espio's murderer had come back was enough to unnerve her.

"Dunno," Sonic said. "Just sit tight, it'll come back on in a minute." About five minutes later, the movie still hadn't come back on, and everyone was able to see a little bit in the dark. Above Sonic and Amy, the man operating the projector leaned out through the opening through which the film was projected and whistled for everyone's attention.

"Sorry folks, but I've been told that the theater's had a big power outage," he said. "I'm afraid we won't be able to finish the showing. But if you'll take your ticket stubs to the cashiers outside, you can get 'em stamped and get back in free tomorrow or whenever we get the place up and running again. Or you can just get a refund, whichever."

"Great," Amy said. "Well, at least we got to see that much of the movie, if nothing else." Everyone had gotten up and began shuffling toward the exits by now, so Sonic and Amy did the same. Outside, everyone had to adjust to the light, so things were slightly jammed up for a minute. Once everyone could see again, they all headed to the cashiers to get their stamps or refunds. This took a little while, but when it was all said and done, Amy and Sonic headed out and took a little stroll toward the beach. It was a beautiful Monday evening, the air still warm with a slight breeze. The orange glow of the setting sun engulfed everything, making it appear as though everything had been painted that color with see-through paint. Clouds were beginning to blow in, so the sunset was likely to be cut off before too much longer.

"Did you ever get those stupid tax forms done?" Sonic asked with a slight grin.

"No," Amy said. "I was extra-busy today, because one of my employees called in sick. He sure sounded like it, too. I do a bit of everything down there, trying to make the place a success."

"From what I heard yesterday, it already is," Sonic said, losing his grin. "Sounds to me like you do too much. You could just teach Tails how to do it. Look at him, he's skipped two grades! The kid's already a rocket scientist, so I'm sure he could handle the IRS!"

"I know," Amy said. "But it's just a psychological thing. It just makes me feel more comfortable if I do it."

"I don't think I'll ever understand how you women think," Sonic said jokingly. Amy laughed a little.

"Get used to the feeling," she said with a wide grin. "Studies have shown, most psychologists don't know either." They both had a laugh over that. They walked in silence for a few more minutes, neither one able to think of anything to say. Amy thought of something pretty soon, though. "Have you seen Knuckles lately?"

"No, actually I haven't," Sonic said, rubbing his chin. "Why?"

"I was talking to Rouge several days ago, and she says that she's going out with him," Amy replied. "But like we both just said, no one really knows how we women think, so maybe she was stretching the truth a little." Sonic gave another laugh.

"If we weren't going out, would you tell your friends that we were?" he asked.

"If I thought that I could get away with it, maybe," Amy said. "Good point. If I knew that someone I knew also knew you and could ask you, I probably wouldn't." The two hedgehogs kept on walking until they reached the beach. The salty sea air tickled their noses with one of the sweetest smells they ever had the pleasure of smelling.

"It's too bad we don't have a beach blanket or something," Sonic said. "We could camp out here. It's a perfect night for it. Well, assuming it's not gonna rain."

"You could always go get one," Amy said sweetly.

"And leave you alone here? You crazy?" Sonic asked. Amy smiled, then leaned forward and kissed Sonic.

"I love you Sonic," she said.

"And I love you too," Sonic said, pulling her into a hug.

"The sight of new love in the face of the Mother Ocean is one of the most beautiful that one can witness in this world or in the next," said a raspy voice from behind the two. Sonic let go of Amy and whirled around to see who had said that. He saw a figure, seven feet tall, wearing a brown cloak that covered its entire body. Its hood had an opening for its face, but there was no face, yet that was still where its voice had come from. It stepped forward, toward the edge of the water.

"Who are you?" Sonic demanded. The figure ignored him.

"Hundreds of millions of years ago, some of the first organisms crawled forth from the Mother Ocean," it went on. "Born in the depths, they continued to grow until they were able to step forth into a strange new world. All life began in the Mother Ocean, and all shall so end."

"Who are you!?" Sonic repeated.

"Yes, who indeed," the figure said, turning around to face Sonic and Amy. "Sonic the hedgehog, one of the few Chosen Ones. One of the very few who may unleash the power of the Seven and use it for good- or evil. And Amy Rose, future wife of Sonic the hedgehog." Amy's expression brightened considerably at this point. The figure chuckled, saying, "Such a predictable reaction. As was yours, Chosen One. But do you really know that I speak the truth, or do you doubt my words? When I leave you, it will be for you to decide whether I lie or whether I speak the truth."

"Alright, so we've established that you know us," Sonic stated. "You wanna tell us who you are, and tell us what you want?"

"Who I am is of no concern to you," the figure said. "What I want is the more important detail. Time and time again, you defeated the forces of the deceased Dr. Eggman and saved the world from what was certainly a grim fate. And while these trials were great, you have not faced the final terror. It grows ever stronger in the darkness below, waiting, watching, planning. It has already sent an unknowing agent to gather the Seven."

"You mean the Emeralds?" Amy asked. The figure ignored her.

"Cherish your time with your loved ones, for it may not last," it said. "I wish you the best of luck, for you will undoubtedly need it." With a swish of its cloak, the figure turned and began to walk into- no, on top of the water. Amy rushed forward.

"Wait!" she called. "Who are you?" The figure stopped on the water, turned around to face Amy, then sank silently into the water, roughly fifty feet from the beach.

"Who WAS that?" Sonic wondered out loud. "What a weirdo. That was pretty creepy with the sinking into the water, though."

"Wonder what that thing meant by 'final terror,'" Amy said.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Sonic said. "It was probably just some really elaborate prank." He didn't really believe that, though.

"Let's get out of here," Amy said. "Let's go back to my house. We can figure out something to do there. And I don't mean that in a perverted way, either!"

"I didn't think so," Sonic said. "We should probably go back to the theater and get the car, though."

"Um... I kinda forgot about that," Amy said. "We walked all this way, and left the car. Great, now I REALLY feel smart."

* * *

"Wow, those clouds really rolled in, didn't they?" Amy noted, looking up as she pulled the car into her driveway. "Better put the top up in case it rains." She reached down under the radio and pushed a small switch up, causing the car's top to begin to unfold toward the front. Once it was fully unfolded, she let go of the switch and it flipped back to the position between up and down. "Latch that side for me, willya?" she said. She reached up and to her left with both hands and pulled down on the top of the car, Sonic following suit. Once she had the top touching the top of the windshield's frame, she directed a small hook on the car's top to a slot in the top of the windshield frame, then pushed a small lever attached to the top against the frame. The hook on the top retracted as the result, which pulled the top tightly against the frame. Once Sonic had his side done the same way, Amy turned the car off. Roughly one second later, the bottom fell out and the entire car was drenched by heavy rain.

"Guess tonight wasn't such a hot night to sleep on the beach after all, huh?" Sonic said.

"Guess not," Amy said. "It's not a hot night to run home, either. Normally I'd offer to take you home later, but there's a little problem. When the car gets wet, sometimes this stupid thing in the engine won't work and it won't start. Or if it's already running, it'll stall."

"Guess I'll have to hope I can get home before I catch a cold," Sonic said dully. "We've still got a little time, though."

"We've got all night," Amy said. "You think I'm letting you run home in this? If you try to, I'll attach myself to you and not let go!"

"What, so you're saying you want me to stay here tonight?" Sonic asked.

"Actually yes," Amy said. "I figure my bed's big enough for both of us... What?" Sonic was gaping at her.

"You're kinda rushing this along, aren't you?" he said. Amy rolled her eyes.

"It's fine," she said. "I don't exactly sleep in the nude, and I doubt you do, either. If I had sex in mind, I would've gotten you drunk before I brought you here." She said that with a tone of finality, then opened her door and made a mad dash for her front porch. Sonic did the same, and got there before she did. But, he was still just as wet as she was.

"I don't suppose you have something dry in there that men could wear in public and not feel like assholes, do you?" he asked, pointing at his soaked jeans.

"I think I'm starting to see your point," Amy said. "Um... I suppose you could just take a long bath or something while I throw them in the dryer... But let's get inside first. Standing on this porch isn't helping anyone." She opened the door and stepped inside, Sonic following.

"Well, just point me to the bathroom and I'll get in there," he said. Amy pointed to a door halfway down the hall.

"That's my room," she said. "The bathroom's through the door in there. You can just leave your pants on top of my dresser, and I'll go in and pick them up in a minute. I wanna get some coffee going first."

"Okay," Sonic said. He walked down the hall and into Amy's room. He quickly located the bathroom and stepped inside, closing the door. He took off his jeans, then pushed open the door enough to lean out and toss them onto the bare dresser. Out in the kitchen, Amy turned on the hot water and it came out cold. She JUST remembered something at this point.

"SONIC!" she yelled. "THE KNOBS ON THE BATHTUB ARE-" She was cut off when Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs. Amy laughed loudly and headed to her room. She leaned inside and faced the closed bathroom door.

"Why didn't you tell me the knobs were reversed!?" Sonic called out.

"I remembered just before you turned the water on!" Amy called back. "I'm so sorry! I tried to tell you but you didn't hear me!"

"Least I was smart enough to stick my hand into the water before I got in," Sonic called. Amy laughed again, then strode forward, grabbed his soaked pants, and returned to the hall. Just across from her room was a pair of sliding doors like you'd expect to see on a closet. She slid the right one open, revealing a plain white dryer. She opened it up and shoved the pants inside, then set it for a half hour.

"I'm setting it for a half hour," she called, "so I hope you like being wet!"

"Oh yeah, I love the water," Sonic called back. "Reminds me of the time Eggman set up a ton of booby traps in a verticle shaft, then started flooding it!" Amy just rolled her eyes and turned the dryer on.

* * *

When Sonic got out of the bath, he found his warm, fresh-out-of-the-dryer jeans folded on top of Amy's dresser. He threw them back on and walked back out into the living room, where Amy was sipping a cup of hot coffee and watching Jeopardy! on her little twenty-inch screen TV. A guy named Ken had over $10000, and it was still the first round. 

"Man, that guy is STILL on there!?" Sonic said, sitting down. "I saw him win one night about a month ago, but DAMN!"

"It's crazy, I know," Amy said. "There's some warm coffee still out there if you want." She reached down and picked up the remote, switching the TV to the guide channel. The only thing that was on that really caught her or Sonic's attention was Monday night football, but the only reason it caught Amy's attention was because she'd read in a tabloid that Sonic had joined the Station Square Sentinels as a runningback. She was stuck somewhere between believing it and disbelieving it.

"What now?" Sonic asked. "The car won't go anywhere, nothing's on TV, doesn't look like you have a VCR..." Amy thought for a moment, then grinned mischieviously.

"I know," she said. She reached around Sonic, pulled him in close, and began to kiss him- deeply. He pulled free after a couple of seconds.

"Wait," he said. "You said sex wasn't part of the plan!"

"Technically, this isn't sex," she said simply. "If that doesn't satisfy you-" she kissed him again, "then we can call it a spur-of-the-moment thing." She pulled him back into another deep kiss, and this time he just closed his eyes and went with it. Hey, if she wanted to make out, why fight it?

* * *

After roughly two hours of almost non-stop kissing, Sonic and Amy finally broke apart. Amy took a glance at the clock. 

"It's getting a little late," she said. "We should probably get to bed."

"I guess so," Sonic said. He and Amy stood up and stretched, then she led the way to her bedroom. Out in the hall, she turned around and stopped Sonic.

"Wait just one minute, willya?" she said. "I may be willing to spend two straight hours making out with you, but I'm not really sure I'm comfortable with the thought of being naked in front of you."

"Ah, man," Sonic said, faking disappointment. Amy smiled, then stepped into the room and closed the door. She pulled off her shoes and dress, then pulled out a pink nightgown and pulled it on.

"You can come in now!" she called. Sonic walked in, yawning widely. He kicked off his shoes and put them in the corner of the room, then turned around and faced the bed, where Amy was laying down.

"So you'll make out with me, you'll sleep with me, but you won't let me see you naked," he said jokingly. "You truly are a strange one."

"You never know, I might have plans to sneak into the shower behind you tomorrow," she said with another grin. Sonic chuckled, then walked over to the bedside and lay down under the covers. Amy kissed him again, turned and clicked off the lamp, then lay her head down on his upper arm, putting her arm across his chest. "Good night," she said.

"Good night," he said back. "And by the way, you're a good kisser."

"So are you," Amy said.

* * *

Okey dokey, another SonAmy chapter down. Review it, plz. Bit of a long one, wasn't it? So, the big question on your mind, I'm sure, is "Who is that freak in the cloak?" Don't worry, that'll be answered in time, too. At the moment, one answer I can use is "He's the reason the word relatively is in the chapter name." 


	29. Beginnings of Suspicions

**CHAPTER 29: Beginnings of Suspicions**

Panting heavily, Shadow bent his legs and dove forward with all his remaining strength. Finally, his efforts paid off, and he successfully captured the first of the Chaos Emeralds! But it was only the first, and there were still six left to go. He turned around and looked behind him at what he called the Chaos World. The huge halfpipe behind him, miles long, seemed to shrink to nothing, and he found himself standing only feet outside of a huge circular area with a metal grate in the ground in the center. The whole thing was made of blue stone with a large, dome-shaped barrier above. Shadow saw the grate in the center vanish, revealing a white portal leading back to his world. Clutching the Emerald, he leapt down. He was surrounded by the bright white light for a few moments, and his whole body tingled. Before he knew it, he was dumped on the ground in the middle of a valley not far from Station Square.

"Damn, that was intense," he said, still panting. He looked down at his right leg, where he had a huge burn unlike anything he'd ever seen. His skin was showing, it was green, pulsating, swelling unnaturally, blistered severely. He guessed that was probably at least a third-degree burn, but he was no doctor. His leg hurt like hell, but he could at least get around well enough.

**FLASHBACK**

"What the fuck is going on here!?" Shadow said, stepping back at the sight of the huge thing in front of him. The Chaos Emerald floated inside it, and it radiated a huge amount of power. It was a color-changing, shapeless blob of pure energy, seemingly with no weak point. As he watched, it reared back and began to hurl small blobs of its own form at him, regenerating where the blobs had broken off. He dodged around for a few moments, then watched as the blobs turned around in midair and hurled themselves at him. He jumped up to avoid them, but they followed and one of them, a green one, brushed his right leg, singing the thin quills there and exposing his skin. He yelled in midair, then curled himself into a ball and shot toward the blob that did it, performing the Homing Attack. While he was good at using it after all his practice, it was still tricky to pull off. As soon as he slammed into the blob, it disappeared, and he bounced back into the air. Also, the light that had surrounded him while he was shooting toward the blob disappeared- and so did his protection from being burned by the other blobs. He repeated this attack until all the blobs were gone, then he turned to look at the large one. It quivered violently and let out a loud shriek, then exploded into dozens of smaller blobs. Shadow dispatched them all in the same manner, then turned to the Emerald. It floated up into the air, then quickly flew away, toward the large halfpipe that Shadow chased it through(there had been a barrier preventing access until the blob was gone). After a long and grueling chase, Shadow finally caught the Emerald.

**END FLASHBACK**

"Something is not right," Shadow said, wincing as he tried to touch his leg. It burned badly, so badly that Shadow nearly crossed his rather large threshold of pain. He gritted his teeth, then clutched the Emerald and began skating back toward Station Square.

* * *

Back in his rather small house, Shadow tossed the Emerald onto his bed, then threw himself on it. He lay there for a few moments, then sat back up and picked up the large case that Salia had given him after his meeting with Blank. He opened it and stuffed the Emerald inside, then closed and locked it before sliding it back to its place next to his bed. Then he looked at his leg: the burning continued, but it wasstill a nasty shade of green, indicating that something had probably infected it. 

"God damn, what is with those things?" he wondered out loud. "What are they? Why has the Chaos World changed again? I need to find out later. I think a doctor is more appropriate right now." He dragged himself back to his feet, then strode over and opened his front door. Salia was standing on the other side, wearing the same white dress that she had been wearing when she first met Shadow.

"Going somewhere?" she said sweetly.

"Have you been following me this whole time?" Shadow asked.

"No, I was actually watching this place. I noticed that right off the bat." Salia pointed at Shadow's leg, which was pulsating again. "You said the Chaos World changed. How is it different? What was there that did that to you?"

"A bunch of blob things," Shadow replied. "One of them touched me, and now my leg's burning like a son of a bitch. And what a coincidence, the one that touched me was green."

"If it burns, you can probably run cold water over it to ease the pain," Salia suggested. "Although, if you want to see a doctor about it, you should probably make up a story about how you got the burn. Remember, you can't tell anyone what you're doing who doesn't already know."

"Any kinds of chemicals leave green burns?" Shadow asked, getting up to wet a wash cloth to put on his leg.

"Not that I know of, although that does not mean there are none," Salia said as Shadow turned on the water in his small sink. In his hand was a small white wash cloth, which he soaked with the cold water flowing from the tap. Once he dragged himself back to the bed and deposited himself on the mattress, he put the cold cloth on the burn. The relief he got wasn't substantial, but it did help. Salia stepped inside and closed the door.

"I hate to think what the other six Emeralds are gonna be like," he said. "And I can't remember the last time I was actually reluctant to think about things like that."

"Well, it could have been much worse," Salia said. "For instance, you could have failed to obtain the Emerald. You never know about the Chaos World. You could have died at the hands of the blobs, or you could have simply been expelled."

"Yeah, I guess," Shadow said. He looked down at the wash cloth, and noticed it was turning a shade of green: the same shade his burn had been turning. He pulled the cloth off and saw that the burn was a more normal color. The swelling had not subsided, though, and the blisters looked as nasty as ever.

"Interesting," Salia said. "Perhaps the green color came from residue from the blob."

"Yeah," Shadow said. Then he looked up at Salia. "And you sure thought of that quick enough. Didn't even have to give it any thought."

"I know all about residue," the white mouse said with a shrug. "I'm a bit of a neat freak. If I got a spot on this dress, I would change as quickly as possible, then either wash the dress until the spot came out, or I would discard it."

"Sounds to me like you're more of a germophobe than a neat freak," Shadow said.

"And it sounds to me like you might be accusing me of something," Salia said. "Is that a normal thing for you?"

"Kind of," Shadow said, shaking his head.

"If you must accuse anyone of anything, kindly accuse my employer," Salia said. "I am only the messenger girl. I'm lucky I was, too, considering how many others he could have chosen instead."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

"Come now Shadow, do you really think that Dave and I are the only two that work for my employer, especially after you've seen what he built?" Salia asked. "He is very rich, very powerful, very intelligent. He spent years working on that project, and now all that remains is to collect the Emeralds to power the apparatus."

"If he's so rich and powerful, how come I've never heard of him?" Shadow asked.

"He often works behind the scenes," Salia said. "As he is doing now. He is working through me at the moment. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Shadow said.

"Good," Salia said. "I must leave you now. If people see you with me they may get curious."

"Who's gonna see way out here?" Shadow asked.

"The mail carrier might," Salia said. "And you know how many people they see. You may want to get that burn looked at and tell them it was hot grease, since the green color is out of the way. It looks like a third-degree burn." With a swish of her dress as she turned around, Salia pulled the door back open and strode silently out the door.

"Something's going on that doesn't add up, god damn it, and I intend to find out what it is," Shadow said. "In the meantime, I think I need to get this looked at." He reached for his phone book and flipped through, looking for the address of a nearby doctor's office.

* * *

Alright, here's another Shadow chapter for you Shadow nuts. It was a little tough to do, since I have other things on my mind right now, but I got it done. Sorry for the longer wait, though. I have my reasons. Review it, plz. 


	30. Creating Another

**CHAPTER 30: Creating Another**

"God, what a frickin' day," Tails said as he inserted his key into the lock on the rather large door in front of him. Pulling the padlock off, he reached down and lifted the door up, exposing the contents of the storage unit Sonic had rented for him for use as a garage. Unlike his apartment, though, the storage unit was in Tails's name(though Sonic was doing the paying), since the owner of the place wasn't some government jackass who thought people below eighteen were too dumb to care about these things. This particular unit was much larger then the rest, including a much larger door. The door was twenty feet across and fifteen feet high. If not for what he used it for, he'd wonder exactly what anyone would need with such a huge storage unit. "Well, least I didn't get beat up. That's a first." Stepping inside, he pulled off his gloves and hung them up on a rack he'd put up when he first started using the unit. Beside those was another pair, only this one was grimy and brown, rather than clean and white. Hanging below that was some coveralls, which he slipped into first. His two tails were pressed uncomfortably against his back, but better to be uncomfortable now than having to wash motor oil out of his light-colored fur later. Then he threw the grimy gloves on, placing the key and padlock on the rack beside the clean gloves. Then he turned and looked into the center of the storage unit. A half-completed biplane was parked in the middle, the skeleton of the wings and part of the incomplete engine exposed. Various pipes and valves were sticking out of the engine, waiting to be attached properly. Striding over to a large toolbox off to one side, Tails began to pick out which tools he'd need: a couple rachets, various sockets to go with the aforementioned rachets, a 3/4" open-ended wrench, and so on.

"I thought I might find you here," Sonic's voice said from the door.

"Hi Sonic," Tails said without turning around as he reached for a small monkey wrench. "Where were you last night? I tried to call you, but all I got was your machine."

"Amy forced me to spend the night at her house because of the rain," Sonic said. "She didn't want me to catch a cold running home, and her car stalls when it gets wet."

"Sounds like she has a crappy engine in that thing," Tails said, turning around and piling the last couple of tools he figured he'd need into a smaller, handheld tool box. "It sounded fine when I rode in it."

"It sounds fine, alright," Sonic said, "but I guess you can't really hear the stalling problem until it happens."

"Guess not," Tails said. "So, what'd you two do there last night all alone?" he added with a grin while walking over to the plane, tools in hand, and climbing up to the opening where the engine was exposed.

"Well, I sat in a hot bath while she dried my jeans off, since they got drenched in the second or two that I was out in the rain," Sonic said. "Then when I got out, we checked to see what was on TV."

"Anything good?" Tails asked as he began attaching the exhaust manifolds to the engine.

"Not really," Sonic said. Then he grinned and said, "So we sat there on the couch for around two hours making out."

"Two hours!?" Tails asked, astounded. "Geez, you must've really lost track of time! What's next, are you gonna tell me you slept with her, too?"

"Actually, yeah," Sonic said, still grinning. "We were cuddled up a little close, too. She didn't seem to have a problem with it. I guess I can see where she was coming from, seeing as we were both dressed and all."

"Oh, so you stopped just short of sex," Tails said. "How did you make out for two hours and not have sex?"

"I'll let you know once I figure it out," Sonic said. "Little Sonic was ready to go the whole time, but I guess my hands were a little slow on the uptake. I don't remember mindlessly trying to peel her clothes off even once."

"Uh HUH," Tails said. "If you were mindlessly doing it, logic would denote that you wouldn't remember, wouldn't it?"

"I guess so," Sonic said. "I tell you what, too, I don't know what kind of shampoo she uses, but the whole time I was there, I noticed a pretty strong scent of strawberries in her house."

"Probably that Fur Fragrances brand," Tails said. "The girls at my school are always talking about their favorite scents. I can't imagine why they'd be so fascinated by it, though. Must be a girl thing."

"Must be," Sonic agreed. "By the way, while I'm still thinking about it, why'd you call last night?"

"Needed to borrow your key for the unit," Tails replied. "Can't seem to find mine. I've been searching for it for three days. This morning before the bus came, I let myself in to your place and picked up the key. Hope you don't mind."

"Just so long as you didn't touch anything important, I don't," Sonic said. "You didn't, did you?"

"No, just the key and the door," Tails said. At this point, his hand slipped and he banged his knuckles on part of the engine. He banged them quite hard, in fact, since the bolt he had been tightening had apparently tightened as much as it was going to. He jerked his hand back, squeezing his wrist with his other hand, and shaking the aching one while screaming, "GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!"

"You alright?" Sonic asked, ignoring the outburst. He knew how Tails's mind worked, and in five minutes he'd have forgotten what happened and what he said.

"Yeah, just now my damn hand hurts," Tails said, letting his wrist go and shaking his hand some more. His gloves had absorbed a lot of the impact, but it had still been quite painful nonetheless.

"Well, don't sweat it," Sonic said. "It happens. You remember how torn up I was when I tripped on the pavement that one time?"

"Worst case of road rash I ever saw," Tails said. "I imagine that's what the doctor said too, huh?"

"Yeah, no joke," Sonic said with a chuckle. "Still, least my ankle was just sprained, and not broken. Perfect timing too, right after we kicked Eggman's ass. I don't know what he'd been smoking that day, but that frog robot was just pitiful."

"Ha ha! I know!" Tails exclaimed. "It's just a pity it ate the last plane. I liked that one."

"Sometimes I wonder exactly what happened to everything it ate," Sonic said wonderingly. "Before the whole thing blew up, I mean."

"I don't even want to think about it," Tails said with a shudder.

"What you SHOULD be thinking about pretty soon is a car," Sonic said. "You plan to buy one, rent one, go mass transit, or what?"

"I dunno," Tails said. "I'm torn between just using the _Tornado II_ or building my own car."

"Might wanna patent the car, if that's what you're gonna do," Sonic said. "Who knows, maybe you can sell the design to a big car manufacturer and be set for life."

"I might," Tails said. "But I was thinking more about the plane. Most people come to school in cars or trucks. Who comes in a compact plane?"

"That's a problem right there," Sonic said. "Where would you park it? Or land it, for that matter?"

"I'll figure that out when I get there," Tails said. "Just don't remind me of that. I want to labor under the delusion that they'll let me do that."

"Eh, okay," Sonic said with a shrug. "So, what'd they try to do to you today?"

"At school?" Tails asked. "Nothing today. A big fight broke out in the hall between some handicapped kids and a couple of guys who kept imitating drooling zombies to make fun of them. The handicapped kids won. They sure can be a violent bunch sometimes. I can't help but wonder what the school does to them for fighting and junk."

"Couldn't tell you," Sonic said. "Oh yeah, almost forgot, Amy left a message on your machine earlier. Said she needs you to come in tomorrow and Thursday, and of course Sunday. That means you need to be watching for her car tomorrow instead of getting on the bus."

"Thanks for letting me know," Tails said. "I don't check the messages very much. I wouldn't have known until it was too late. Guess I need to get in the habit, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Sonic agreed. "So, you have to work pretty hard up there?"

"You have no idea," Tails said. "Weekdays aren't too bad, but we literally need all hands on deck on Sundays. On normal days we make eight credits an hour, but on Sundays, it's tripled because of the huge workload." Sonic's jaw dropped.

"You kidding me!?" he cried.

"Nope," Tails said shortly. "I kid you not. Haven't been paid yet since I started on our pay day, but I imagine it's gonna be a killer. Maybe I can start paying for my own stuff, and let you use some of that reward money for yourself." He was referring to the money Sonic had received for beating the crap out of Eggman and saving the world so many times. No one was sure WHY the government had decided to pay him for it, but hey, who was complaining? At least they'd given Sonic a little extra incentive to do a good job, since he would have had to give up his periods of excessive running in order to get a full-time job. Since he didn't really need it that much, being that most of his time was invested in running everywhere, he used it for paying Tails's bills.

"Eh, maybe I'll just buy some new threads and save the rest for a rainy day," Sonic said. "You never know, it might come in handy."

"Maybe- ah, crap!" Tails exclaimed, balling his hands into tight fists. "I dropped the damned fuel line into the engine!"

"Uh oh," Sonic said. "You got anything to get it out with?"

"No," Tails growled. "I'll have to take the engine apart to get it out, but I'll have to remove the whole thing first!"

"Ouch," Sonic said. He was starting to see that Tails was gonna be a bit moody for the rest of the afternoon, and decided to change the subject to one that he figured would be a bit less irksome. "You remember how you were a couple years ago?"

"I've changed a lot since then," Tails said. "You'll need to elaborate before I can figure anything out."

"Well, your temperament, for one thing," Sonic said. "You're still a pretty docile guy and all, but you get moody really fast since then. I can't ever remember you saying one cuss word before you hit thirteen."

"You know teenagers go through a lot of changes," Tails said. "Psychological ones, too, unless everything my psychology teacher says has been a bunch of lies."

"I didn't know you were taking psychology," Sonic said. "Is it pretty cool?"

"I think it is, but some of the other kids just sleep through the class," Tails replied. "The teacher says to let 'em sleep, and when they fail the class, that's their problem. I looked through the book and saw that there's a chapter on sleep, so I figure they're probably just practicing for that."

"They might be, you never know," Sonic joked. "Well, I'm gonna head out. I wanna get home kinda early tonight so I can get some sleep. I plan to head up to Angel Island tomorrow and hang out with Knuckles for a while. Haven't seen him for a while, so I figured I'd go pester him."

"Okay," Tails said. "Guess I'll see you later, then."

"Alright, see you," Sonic said, heading out. As he ran out, Tails hopped down from the plane's engine and looked at it.

"Stupid fuel line," he said. "It NEVER fails."

* * *

Yet another chapter is done, with a nice long wait attached. Sorry for that, but I've been having some trouble hanging on to the computer for extended periods as of late. Ah well. Doesn't matter I guess. So, here we have Tails working some more on a new plane design he'd conjured up pretty much out of nowhere. Then enter Sonic, for a quick chat about life, the universe, and everything. After banging his knuckles on the engine(very big ouch on that one) and losing a fuel line in it, we see thatTails has become a bit less mellow guy over the years. Ah well, who isn't like that? Review it plz. 


	31. Leisure Time

**CHAPTER 31: Leisure Time**

"Hey Knuckles, you down there?" Sonic called down to the huge hole in the ground he encountered outside the Master Emerald building.

"Yeah, I'm in here!" Knuckles called back up. "That you Sonic?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Sonic called back. "Thought I'd drop by and hang out for the day! Is this a bad time?"

"Nah, I'm just having some fun!" Knuckles called out from the bottom of the hole.

"You call digging graves fun?" Sonic called out as a joke.

"I do what I can!" Knuckles called up. His voice came from a little closer this time, and through the dim light of the morning sun on the sides of the hole, Sonic could see the figure of his red-haired friend climbing up.

"I suppose you WOULD need to find something to do when you've got nothing to do around here, huh?" Sonic asked when Knuckles was within reach. He reached down his hands to help Knuckles out of the hole.

"No kidding," Knuckles said as Sonic helped him out. "I just do that for fun. You know, see how deep I can go before the bedrock gets too tough."

"Do you ever think about the fact that this island is hundreds of feet in the air, and it's not exactly the thickest rock around?" Sonic asked as the two of them headed for the steps of the Master Emerald building.

"Well, there's a lot of air between here and the ground," Knuckles said with a grin. "Besides that, there's also a lot of water between here and the ocean bottom. If I ever dig out the bottom of the island, I'll at least have a nice dive going for me. Who knows, maybe I'll land in the _Guinness Book_ if I survive it."

"Maybe you'll win a Darwin Award if you don't," Sonic joked. "I'd vote for you!"

"Oh gee, thanks," Knuckles said, sitting down on one of the steps. "Anyway, what's been up, anything?"

"Ah, not too much," Sonic said, grabbing a spot a few feet away on the same step. "Been wearing a huge rut in my usual running spots because I've been hanging around them too much. You know, the usual."

"I hear you," Knuckles said. "It's been the same around here too. Nothing to do but dig and punch things. Course then again, now that Rouge has finally come out and admitted that she's given up on the Master Emerald, I can kinda relax my watch on it and get out more."

"Nice," Sonic said with a nod. "Met anyone yet?"

"You mean girlfriend-wise?" Knuckles asked. Sonic nodded.

"If you have, do tell," he said.

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," Knuckles said.

"Amy finally netted me," Sonic said. "Took her long enough, too. I see her for the first time in nearly two years, and she's already got a nice car, owns a restaurant, has her own house, then tops it all off by flashing her eyes and asking me out."

"She knows of the power in the eyes," Knuckles said. Then he jokingly added, "Say goodbye to your own free will."

"Little late for that," Sonic said. "The other night, she wouldn't let me go home because she didn't want me to catch a cold from the rain, and her car stalls when it gets wet. She forced me to spend the night at her house, otherwise she'd latch onto me with one of those... bearhugs, and wouldn't let go."

"Whoa," Knuckles said, astounded. "That's a little extreme. As if a cold wouldn't be bad enough, a spinal dislocation wouldn't have helped matters at all."

"Well, the night wasn't a TOTAL disaster," Sonic said. "We got to make out for a while, then she let me sleep with her. And before you ask, we stopped short of sex."

"Good," Knuckles said. "I couldn't see you running around with a stroller or something, and with Amy being only... what, eighteen now?"

"Yeah, that's right," Sonic said with a nod.

"Anyway, I couldn't see you running around with a stroller, and with Amy only being eighteen, I think the last thing she needs to deal with is pregnancy and children," Knuckles said. "But anyway, how long did you guys make out for?"

"About two hours," Sonic said. Knuckles jerked his head back a little and blinked, surprised.

"Holy hell," he said. "You made out for two hours, slept with her, and you managed not to break down, strip her and screw her? Dude, THAT is self-control beyond belief."

"That's what Tails said when I told him," Sonic said. "Now it's your turn. Who'd you pick up?"

"Rouge," Knuckles said. "Hey, aren't she and Amy good friends?"

"Yeah," Sonic said.

"Thought so," Knuckles said. "Anyway, Rouge and I have been going out a little bit lately, ever since she gave up on the Master Emerald."

"Do anything good?" Sonic asked.

"We went to the little mini-carnival," Knuckles said. "I kicked some dude's ass in a sideshow and scored 2,000 creds. The rest of the day went downhill. I sucked at all the games, I nearly flipped a go-cart, and this beats all. At the ring-the-bell game, Rouge actually kicked my ass. I got halfway to the bell, but she nearly broke the thing. Turns out I was using the wrong side of the mallet."

"You learned that trick the hard way too, huh?" Sonic said. "It was a five-year-old girl in my case."

"Kids these days," Knuckles said with a grin while shaking his head.

"She'd eaten her Wheaties that morning, for sure," Sonic joked.

"Speaking of kids, how's Tails been lately?" Knuckles asked.

"Been getting picked on a lot in school," Sonic said. "Seems some guys have this thing going on where they pool their money, they each pull something on him, and whoever gets him worst and gets away with it wins. They haven't all been successful though. Seems like they agreed to do it in teams, too. Last week, three guys dragged him into a game of footbal, then knocked the shit out of him. He apparently hit his head on the ground, and that knocked him out. Rouge was the only emergency contact of his they could get ahold of, but she wasn't in any shape to come after him, so she sent Amy."

"Damn," Knuckles said. "Sounds like those kids need to learn some manners."

"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "Still, on the bright side, when Amy came after him, she got to talk to him about the job he applied for at her restaurant. He got hired on the spot."

"Whoa, cool," Knuckles said. "How'd Amy get the money to have her own restaurant, though?"

"She said she helped Rouge hack Eggman's accounts a couple years back, and she got busy spending it," Sonic said. "She said that's why I suddenly stopped running into her everywhere."

"Oh, that's right!"Knuckles said. "I forgot, I asked Rouge thatsometime last week. But still, it's kinda bad that they did it illegally. If anyone finds out where it came from, they could get locked up!" Sonic shook his head.

"Who would care?" he asked. "Eggman was an asshole. I'm sure he probably got his money the same way. What goes around comes around, y'know."

"Good points, and well made," Knuckles said. "But anyway, back to talking about Tails. You said he got the job, right?"

"Yeah," Sonic said. "On the spot."

"What's she got him doing?" Knuckles asked.

"Register, I think he said," Sonic said. "He gets pretty good pay for it, too. Eight creds per hour, and twenty-four on Sundays because the workload is EXTREME."

"DAMN!" Knuckles exclaimed. "The kid's gonna be paying all his own bills before too long!"

"Probably," Sonic agreed. "And of course, I'm just now remembering what I'd meant to ask Amy the other night."

"Which is?" Knuckles asked.

"Of all the things she could've done with the money Rouge gave her for helping hack those accounts, why open a restaurant?" Sonic said.

"I can answer that," Rouge said, approaching Sonic and Knuckles from the direction Sonic had come when he first arrived.

"Hiya Rouge," both guys said at the same time.

"Been having a little guy chat?" Rouge asked.

"Something like that, yeah," Knuckles said. "But hey, plenty of room for more. Grab a spot. At the rate people are showing up, there might not be any left after too much longer."

"Must make you feel nice knowing everyone thinks of you all at the same time, huh?" Rouge joked, sitting down right next to Knuckles.

"You could say that," Knuckles said with a laugh. "But anyway, you said you could tell us why Amy picked a restaurant of all things, right?"

"Yeah," Rouge said. "I asked her the same thing when she first had the idea. She said she just figured it'd be a good job for her, since she's a pretty good cook. I don't think she was thinking of all the other things she'd have to take care of to keep the place going, but she learned quick enough."

"What other things?" Sonic asked.

"Accounting forms, for one thing," Rouge said. "She doesn't exactly have an accountant's degree or anything. Just do me a favor, and don't ask how she went about learning all this."

"That's on my list of things to ask her," Sonic said. "I still have ONE thing I've been meaning to ask her that I haven't been able to get out."

"What's that?" Knuckles asked.

"Where the hell does she keep that frickin' hammer of hers?" Sonic said. "When she needs it she just... suddenly has it!"

"That's the one thing she always refuses to tell me," Rouge said. "I don't think you'll have much more success." The three of them shared a hearty laugh. Hiding in a rather large shrub nearby, a small robot armed with a 40-millimeter grenade launcher and a mounted(on one arm) shotgun watched them.

"Primary target and two secondary targets acquired," it said into a small one-way radio mounted to its head. "Now would be a perfect time to eliminate them all. Initializing combative systems." The robot held up the grenade launcher and very slowly pulled it open to insert a grenade round. When the round was inserted, the robot tried to click the weapon shut as quietly as possible, but the weapon clicked a little more loudly than its holder preferred. Rouge's large ears picked up the sound easily, and she immediately recognized it as a weapon.

"DUCK!" she cried out, grabbing Knuckles and diving off the steps. Sonic, who was a few feet out of her reach, dove off as well, figuring if nothing happened he'd ask what happened in a moment. He didn't need to, though, as a rather large round flew past him just after he dove.

"What in the hell!?" Knuckles yelled. "What was that!?"

"It sounded like a grenade launcher!" Rouge exclaimed. The sound of the shotgun pumping wasn't exactly reassuring, either. Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic all jumped to their feet and scattered.

"I think our assassins are back!" Sonic called out from behind a tree he was using for cover.

"Assassins!?" Knuckles yelled. "What's this shit about!?"

"MOVE IT!" Rouge shouted, diving out of the bush she and Knuckles had been hiding in. It exploded a second after Knuckles got himself out, another of the grenade rounds tearing it apart. Sonic took the opportunity to run out, right at the robot. Before it could raise its shotgun to blow his head off, he jumped up and slammed his bodyright into its head, knocking it off-balance. Rouge grabbed Knuckles, flew up a bit, and hurled him at the robot. It regained its balance just in time for Knuckles to smash its torso with a powerful punch. He withdrew his fist as soon as his feet touched the ground, jumped up, pulled a flip in midair, and used his momentum to plant another devastating punch right in the top of its head. It was crushed flat, and both weapons fell to its sides, sticking straight out in either direction.

"God damn, that was close," Knuckles said.

"Get away from it!" Sonic yelled, putting some distance between himself and the robot. Knuckles followed suit, just in time for chunks of the robot to go flying past him as an internal bomb exploded and decimated the robot's remains.

"Whoa!" Rouge exclaimed, already far enough from the robot to be out of danger. "Talk about hardcore! How'd you know the thing would explode?"

"One of these things attacked me and Amy in the park one night!" Sonic called to her as they all began to approach the miniature crater. When they all got to the robot, he went on, saying, "When we took it to Tails to check it out, it blew up and nearly sent a screwdriver through his head. If he hadn't been tossed back, he'd be six feet under."

"Wow," Rouge said. "That was lucky." She knelt down to the robot's crushed head, which hadn't flown as far away as it had flown up. "What's with this skull marking?"

"There was one on the robot that attacked me and Amy, too!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Guess the same person sent them both," Rouge said. She examined the radio device. "This thing was talking to someone, but they weren't talking back. This radio is one-way. Ideal for recon missions. I had to use them a little bit when I was working for the feds."

"If it was just recon, why'd it try to blow us away?" Sonic asked.

"Dunno," Rouge said. "Maybe one of us was just too tempting a target to pass up. Or all of us." She and Sonic exchanged glances, and Knuckles finally cut in.

"What the hell is going on here!?" he demanded.

"Get comfortable," Sonic told him. "This is gonna take a little while to explain."

* * *

And so, in the middle of a little catching up between Sonic and Knuckles, Rouge appears on the scene, having also decided to pay Knuckles a surprise visit. Before too long, the three of them find themselves under attack by a robot with a familiar skull marking on it. After dispatching it, Rouge makes a couple of observations about it, deducing several things based purely off what she learned while working for the government. Finally, Knuckles cut in and asked what the hell was going on. It's easy to guess what Sonic told him from there. Review it plz. I'm not complaining, but I've noticed the reviews have kinda slowed a bit. Please bear in mind what I said in the very first chapter: if they stop completely, so will I. I like to know people are still following. 


	32. Meeting Again

**CHAPTER 32: Meeting Again**

"What a day," Amy said to herself as she filled in the ledger forms for the restaurant's various asset and expense accounts. Beside the ledger book was the general journal, from which she was taking the information she'd gathered from various source documents, such as the tape from the register, invoices, etc. Off to the side of her desk, she had unwisely placed her cup of coffee. It was only half-empty/full, but there was still enough to make a serious mess of the papers on the desk should it tip over. "Talk about busy... As if the thought of Sunday isn't enough to make me wanna go home and knock myself out." A few seconds later, a loud noise outside her door made her jump. Tails peeked his head in a few seconds afterward, one eye covered with a gauze pad and some electrical tape. His entire body was covered in flour, and a small cloud began to float in through the door.

"Might wanna be a little careful when you come out, Amy," he said. "Lance slipped and dropped a huge sack of flour. It's everywhere out here."

"Alright, thanks for warning me," Amy said. She pointed at the gauze pad. "How's your eye doing?"

"Still stings a bit, but it's doing better," Tails said. "If I'd been any quicker, the rock might've hit me dead-on and REALLY screwed me up."

**::FLASHBACK::**

"Hey Miles!" Clyde called out from behind Tails during Ag class.

"Shut up, Clyde!" Tails snapped as he jerked around to glare at Clyde- and got nailed right in the face by a rock thrown just as Clyde had called Tails by his real name. The rock hit the corner of his left eye, just barely missing his eyeball. Clyde was dragged off to the principal's office while Tails was sent to Mrs. Broome, who felt that the bleeding welt warranted gauze and tape. The medical tape sucked, though, so Tails made a mental note to replace it with better tape after school.

**::END FLASHBACK::**

"You've really got to do something about those guys," Amy said. "I mean, keep it within reason, but you need to get them to stop somehow. The last thing I want is to hear that those jerks took it too far and you wound up hospitalized."

"I'm working on it," Tails said. "Looks like it'll probably have to go on a little longer before I get what I'm shooting for, though."

"Do I wanna know what you're shooting for?" Amy asked.

"Someone to follow me everywhere I go from the moment I step onto campus till the moment I leave," Tails said.

"Good luck," Amy said, "because you'll need it."

"Maybe I'll get that lucky," Tails said. "Oh, by the way, we're only about fifteen minutes from closing time, and the last customers just left. Want us to go ahead and close everything up?"

"Yeah, you can go ahead and do that," Amy said. "I doubt anyone's gonna have time to come in, order something, wait for you guys to fix it, then shovel it down."

"Alright," Tails said. He pulled his head back out to the hall and closed Amy's door behind him. About four seconds later, Amy's phone rang.

"Crap," Amy said. "At this rate I'll never finish." She picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Thank you for calling Rose's Diner, Amy Rose speaking. How may I help you?"

"Amy, this is Vector, from Chaotix Detective Agency," Vector's voice replied.

"Oh my God," Amy said. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to pay you for your help."

"Don't worry about that," Vector said. "That's actually not why I called. I've been busy ever since you asked me to dig around for information about weapons developers. That's actually the issue I wanted to discuss with you."

"You found something?" Amy asked.

"Well, I didn't find anyone with a skull logo, but I found apossible candidate," Vector said. "If the guy who attacked you still has you in his sights, you're in real danger. This line could be bugged, too. I'd prefer to speak to you in person. When's the soonest we an arrange that?"

"We're just closing up here," Amy said, "so I'm free any time tonight."

"Can you be here in maybe thirty minutes?" Vector asked.

"Yeah," Amy said. "That won't leave me time to drop one of my employees off at home, though, so would it be alright if I brought him along?"

"I'd prefer it, actually," Vector said. "It's probably best if you have someone with you as much as possible until we know whether or not this thing's over."

"Okay," Amy said. "I'll see you in thirty." After a quick exchange of goodbyes, Amy got up, chugged the last of her lukewarm coffee, then left her office. Tails was just walking past with a push-broom, cleaning up the flour. Amy pointed at the wall. "I'll ask Katie to finish that up, Tails. We've gotta leave a little earlier than I thought. I just got a call concerning that robot we asked you to check out the other night."

* * *

"Glad you could come," Vector said as Amy and Tails walked into the brightly-lit office. "Didn't happen to notice if anyone was tailing you on the way here, did you?"

"No," Tails said shortly. Amy giggled slightly. Charmy looked up from a table off to one side, glanced at the new arrivals, then shook his head before returning to his math book.

"What- oh," Vector said, realizing what he'd just said: asking about people tailing them in the presence of a two-tailed fox. "Sorry, pun not intended."

"You said you'd found some stuff out, right?" Tails said.

"Yeah, I was getting to that," Vector said. "Might wanna sit down, because this'll take a few minutes." Amy and Tails promptly sat down in front of Vector's cluttered desk. "First off, I did an Internet search on major weapons researchers, manufacturers, and distributers. Almost everything I turned up tied into pro- and anti-gun control arguments."

"Frickin' liberals," Tails muttered.

"Both sides were just as guilty as the other," Vector said. "I came up with a few names, and after I sifted through them, I found one that sprang up much more recently. Its name is DefTech. It's supposedly a defensive weapons researcher, manufacturer, and distributer, all in one. Its market would be the government, but I did a little digging of my own variety and found out that they've made a few shadier deals on the black market. Not prefabricatedmerchandise, either. Designs. Blueprints."

"To who?" Amy asked.

"The files didn't say," Vector said. "The buyer or buyers were listed as anonymous."

"Why would they list illegal arms sales in their computerized sales documents?" Tails asked. "Why not just keep them on paper?"

"The government requires big dealers like that to record all their transactions on computers," Vector said. "They also go in periodically and check out the written documents, just in case. Normally this wouldn't be allowed, but these are some big players we're talking about."

"Wouldn't the government require them to give the names of the buyers?" Tails asked.

"They would, but they could get away with it if they were never given a name to begin with," Vector said. "I still haven't figured out how they could answer the very obvious questions of 'Why did you sell without a name' and 'How did you sell without a name', but apparently they did. My only guess was that they sold them C.O.D. to a random dealer on the black market, didn't bother with a name, then left him to do his own thing. I would think they'd be shut down and charged with treason for that, since it could have gone to some enemy country, but that hasn't happened either. I would guess that's because they've got something the government jerks really want to get their paws on, and they won't dare shut DefTech down until they get it."

"Did the records say what kinds of weapons?" Amy asked.

"Not really," Vector said. "I personally don't see how any of these can be considered defensive weapons, but the records indicated that some kind of new detection gear, very powerful handheld weaponry, and prototype robotic equipment were among the big sellers."

"Robotics!?" Amy and Tails exclaimed in unison.

"Hey!" Charmy yelled. "Keep it down! This is hard enough without the noise!"

"Sorry," Amy said to him, then turned back to Vector. "Did they say what kinds of robotic equipment?"

"Nope," Vector said. "I figure, though, if someone knew how, they could adapt the detection stuff and weaponry for use by robots and create a pretty effective combat force."

"Hm..." Tails began, crossing his arms over his chest. "That would explain a little bit. If it was a prototype, that might explain its poor shielding, and the defective internal explosive."

"Yeah, it's possible," Amy agreed.

"Well, that's about all I found out about DefTech," Vector said. "I did some digging through news articles ever since DefTech sprung up. I figured that whoever bought the blueprints would probably need some rather exotic stuff to build them with. I think I was right. My search turned up a bunch of articles about break-ins at high-security government facilities and secret materials being stolen. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what they probably were."

"Weapons," Tails said.

"Weapon components, more like," Vector said. "I doubt the government would just keep weapons locked up. I would think they'd be more keen on using them. There was a massive theft of explosives at a nearby army surplus store not long ago. Did you hear about that?" Both Tails and Amy shook their heads. Vector turned his monitor around to face them, showing the article. He went on, saying, "I'm pretty sure it's related. The range of items taken was pretty specific. C-4, timed detonators, remote detonators, and the like. Last month a load of radio transmitters disappeared en route to the base in the next town. The truck and driver were found in the bottom of a lake by someone practicing SCUBA diving. Those would probably work with the detonators. Also, for some reason, something else caught my eye." Vector turned his monitor back and brought up a different article, then showed it to Tails and Amy.

"Thirty people disappeared at one time!?" Tails read, shocked.

"I don't know why, but I think it could be related, too," Vector said. "What's worse is that the article mentions that over the past couple of years, the same thing has happened dozens of times. The police think that the victims didn't always disappear at one time, though the articles didn't mention why, but they think that they all went to the same place. Some days, as many as fifty missing person reports would be filed within a few hours. A few people have reappeared ever since, though."

"That's good," Amy said. Vector shook his head.

"They were found dead," he said solemnly. "Recently, a couple of bodies were found devoid of any tissue except for bones and some skin clinging to the bones. The skin on each body had very small amounts of some kind of corrosive or digestive fluid in it. DNA tests indicated that they were the Greenes. I did a search on that name, and it turns out that they were among the first reported missing."

"God, what could have happened?" Tails asked.

"I don't know, I really don't," Vector said.

"I'm DONE!" Charmy exclaimed from his table. Everyone look over at him, and Amy noticed he seemed to be looking at the corner Espio had been occupying when she had first hired him to keep an eye on her, rather than looking at Vector, Tails, or herself.

"Good job Charmy," Vector said. He picked up his credit card and tossed it to Charmy. "Go get yourself a hamburger or something. I haven't seen you eat anything all day."

"Okay!" Charmy said with more than a little enthusiasm, then he sped out the door.

"Uh, can you really trust him not to spend everything you've got?" Tails asked.

"I've got a spending limit on it," Vector said. "Keeps me from going overboard with it. Keeps him from doing it even more than it does me. Besides, I keep track of how much I've got, and he knows that."

"Oh," Tails said.

"Does he usually look at the corner when he says he's done?" Amy asked.

"He wasn't kidding at the funeral when he said he'd go to school and do all his work and everything," Vector said. "Guess he thinks Espio's spirit is in the corner watching us or something. Much as I'd like to think the same thing, my head doesn't quite reach as high as the clouds. But anyway, I think I've gone over pretty much everything I wanted to tell you. I'll do some more digging around, but I'm not sure if it'll do much good at this point. I've got this gut feeling that anything else worth knowing regarding this whole situation probably hasn't happened yet."

"We'll see," Amy said, standing up. Tails did the same, and Vector. "I guess at this point the only thing we can do is wait and see."

"Yeah," Vector said. "Keep me posted about anything you think is important, alright? I'll see if I can't start putting all this together and figure out who's doing it."

"I will, don't worry," Amy said. At this point, her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and answered it. "Hello?"

"Amy, it's me," Rouge's voice said. "Is Tails with you? I already tried his place, but I just got the machine."

"Yeah, he's with me," Amy said. "Why?"

"I went to visit Knuckles today," Rouge explained, "and when I got there, Sonic was already there. We talked for a minute or two, then a robot armed with a shotgun and a 40-millimeter grenade launcher tried to blow us away! We took it down alright, but we wanted Tails to look at it and see what he could find out. It's got a skull emblem on it, and from what Sonic said, you've seen that emblem before."

"Where are you now?" Amy asked.

"We've dragged the robot down to Tails's storage unit," Rouge said. "We didn't want to stick around, in case more showed up."

"Alright, I'll tell him," Amy said. "We'll be down there as soon as we can." Amy hung up, then looked at Tails.

"What's wrong now?" he asked.

"Another robot with a skull marking attacked Sonic, Rouge and Knuckles," Amy said.

* * *

I have two things to say:

1. If you thought I was done with the Chaotix boys ever since Espio died, shame on you.

2. Enjoy. Feedback is obviously much appreciated. Also, please note that I'll be going out-of-state for a while, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to get my next chapter up, which is why this one came so soon after the last one.


	33. Down With the Sickness

**CHAPTER 33: Down With the Sickness**

Tails stared out through the window as Amy drove the car, thinking to himself. He thought about all the times he and others had helped Sonic defeat Eggman, trying to think who could have been connected to the doctor who would want Sonic and his friends dead. Amy looked over and saw Tails with his head pressed against the glass.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Tails said without moving. "I just can't figure out who would be behind this, that's all. Eggman's gone, and the only one who I can think of that would continue trying to kill Sonic and the rest of us is Metal Sonic. But we took him out years ago. I asked Shadow a couple months later what he and that robot Omega had done with him, and he told me that he'd decided to let Omega take him somewhere and rip him apart in peace."

"You think Metal Sonic escaped first, and went into hiding or something?" Amy asked.

"I doubt it," Tails said. "He was down for the count. There was no way he could have fought off Omega. I got a pretty good look at him. He wasn't as advanced as Metal Sonic, but he was certainly more powerful anyway. No, Metal Sonic couldn't have escaped unless somsone helped him. But who would? Eggman was on the run, from what Shadow said. He told me I should've seen the look on his face. Apparently it was priceless."

"We'll figure this thing out, I'm sure of it," Amy said. "I hope this time we'll be able to REALLY learn something from the robot."

* * *

"You guys been here long?" Tails asked as he got out of the car. Knuckles, Rouge and Sonic had let themselves into Tails's "garage" using Sonic's spare key.

"Not really," Sonic said. "Just long enough to stop aching. Dragging that thing down here was no easy thing. Cabs and buses wouldn't let us bring it along, so we couldn't get a ride. We had to do it on foot. Normally it wouldn't be anything for me, but normally I'm not helping to lug a smashed-up robot around."

"Wow," Tails said. "Rouge, I thought you had a car. Why couldn't you take a cab and go get it?"

"It's been in the shop for a while," Rouge said. "I got in an accident. Thing had to be towed out. Least the cop said it wasn't my fault."

"You could've just asked me to fix it," Tails said. "I could've done it quicker, cheaper, and better, I guarantee."

"I know," Rouge said. "It's just that we hadn't seen each other for a little while, and I didn't want it to seem like I'd broken the ice just for a favor."

"Oh," Tails said. Looking at the robot, he added, "I see the explosive inside that thing went off already. That's good, because I didn't feel like having a screwdriver nearly blasted through my head." Everyone had a small laugh out of that one. Tails skipped the coveralls and grimy gloves, and just grabbed some tools to open the robot up with and check out its insides.

"I'm no expert," Knuckles said, "but I'd say there's going to be very little left to check out. Between me smashing it up and having that bomb go off, it'd be a miracle if anything inside that thing was intact."

"With any luck, the memory chip will be intact," Tails said. "It'll make things a whole lot easier if it is." He took a look at the shotgun and grenade launcher. "I wonder if we can get the brand name of that shotgun and have someone check into their sales records. If it was bought, they'll have to have a name, and we can check that out. If the grenade launcher actually has a brand name, we can check that too."

"Unless it was stolen," Rouge said. "If I wanted to stay anonymous but get my hands on a gun, I'd steal it. Saves a lot of time, money, and unnecessary paperwork."

"I can imagine," Amy said.

"I'm gonna need my grinder," Tails said. "Gonna need to cut this thing open. Sonic, would you grab it out of that box you're sitting on?"

"Sure," Sonic said. He stood up, opened the box he'd been sitting on, and pulled out a handheld grinder. He tossed it to Tails, then sat back down.

"Thanks," Tails said. "Least you guys left this thing next to an electrical outlet." He plugged the grinder in, then hit the button to make sure it was working.

"I think I should probably step outside," Rouge suddenly said, stepping toward the door. "My ears are kind of sensitive, you know." Tails gave her a minute to step outside and get away from the storage unit, then he fired up the grinder and proceeded to cut open the robot's head with it. Sparks flew everywhere during this, but he managed not to get any in his eyes.

"You can come back in now," Tails called out. Looking into the robot's open head, he added, "Man, this thing is TRASHED. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you crushed it in a hydraulic press or something."

"Well, I had to stop it," Knuckles said. "I was gonna punch its head completely off, but I didn't feel like having to dive off the island to go find it."

"Good point," Tails said. He pushed aside some wires, searching. There was a capacitor, more wires, some device he'd never seen before, and a chip- an intact chip. "YES! I think this is the memory chip! We may be able to get some answers from it!"

"I dunno," Rouge said, kneeling down beside Tails. "That thing looks pretty advanced. Doesn't look like any ordinary scanners or anything could access that. I'd expect to find the rightkind of chip drivefor that in two places: a computer hacker's garage, and a government facility."

"You're a computer hacker," Amy said. "Or at least, used to be. Don't you have anything-"

"No," Rouge said. "I used to, but that was before I got tired of doing the government's dirty work for them. They may be able to get their hands on as many of them as they want, but they STILL don't let their agents keep that stuff when they resign or get fired."

"Ouch," Tails said. "They don't trust you anymore?"

"Guess not," Rouge said. "I'd probably have to go back to work for them to gain access to what I'd need."

"Well, I'll hang on to the chip, and if you have any other ideas, let me know," Tails said. "You quit that job for a reason, and I'm not sure I'd feel too good about it if you had to go back just for this."

"Does your school have a computer club?" Rouge asked.

"No," Tails said. "The irony of that is, we have a football team, a baseball team, a track team, a debate team, a volleyball team, a softball team, and a boxing team."

"Boxing?" Knuckles asked.

"You'd go far," Sonic said.

"Well, this was a new thing just announced this week," Tails said. "I can only guess who's going to make it in. My guess is, everyone who's got their sights set on making my life hell for the rest of the year. They were bad before, all I need is for them to be able to punch harder and more accurately." Amy laughed a little.

"Men, ALWAYS doing things the hard way," she said. "You realize that it's perfectly legitimate to kick them in the balls, right?"

"I was thinking of carrying a 2x4 to school with me every morning until somebody noticed the problem and handled it," Tails said. "Problem is, I can't find any 2x4s."

"I hate to interrupt, but aren't we here about the hunk of junk on the ground?" Sonic cut in.

"Sorry, got off track," Tails said. "Why'd you ask, Rouge? Thinking that someone in a computer club was likely to be a hacker of some kind?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Rouge said. "Well, that leaves me fresh out of ideas."

"Wait a second, what's this thing?" Sonic knelt down and poked a small glass tube inside the robot's torso. He tried to pull it out, but it was too slick- his gloves slid right off. Tails pulled of one of his gloves, reached down, and pulled on the tube. He had to grip it a little tighter than he liked, but he got it out.

"Don't know," he said. "Looks like- ow!" The glass had broken in his hand, and cut open one of his fingers. Inside the tube was a light green gelatinous substance, which covered the cut finger when Tails pulled it away.

"Yuck," Amy said. "Looks like snot."

"Feels like Jell-O," Tails said, wiping the stuff off on his glove. He got up and went to find some electrical tape to wrap around his finger. "Wonder what that stuff is."

"Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen," Rouge said. She gave it a small sniff, then turned her head just in time not to sneeze on it. "That smells like shit."

"It's really cold, too," Tails said. "Wonder why it's contained in such thin glass, and what it was doing in that robot. I wonder..." His voice trailed off.

"What?" Sonic asked. Tails just stood where he was and didn't say anything.

"Tails?" Amy asked. Tails finally blinked a few times and shook his head.

"Is it me, or did it just get really hot in here?" he asked, just before he fell forward. Sonic and Rouge caught him mid-fall and turned him over on his back.

"Tails, are you alright!?" Rouge shouted. Tails didn't respond. His breathing began to speed up greatly, and his head slumped backward.

"What's the nearest hospital!?" Knuckles asked in a calm but urgent voice.

"Main Street Hospital!" Rouge said back.

"Amy, call ahead!" Sonic ordered. "Tell them to be watching for me! I'm getting Tails down there!" Quickly, Sonic picked Tails up and ran from the storage unit as Amy pulled her cell phone out of her purse.

* * *

"How is he?" Sonic asked the doctor. Several hours after Tails had first collapsed, the doctor had finally come out of the ER to inform Sonic, Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy of Tails's condition.

"He's stable, but he's in pretty bad shape nonetheless," replied the doctor, a gray squirrel in a white coat. "He's running a fever of 106. If he hits 108, he'll die. Now the problem is, we can't identify the pathogen. We tested the sample you brought with you, and confirmed that it's a virus, but like I said, we don't know which. A vaccine at this point won't help, as vaccines work by introducing a weakened version of the virus into the body. This causes the immune system to create antibodies in response to the 'invasion,' which in turn results in immunity to the real thing. The only thing we can really do at this point is to watch him, keep him comfortable, and see if he can fight off the infection. As much as I hate to say it, he's been given a minimal chance of survival. I'm sorry."

"The virus must have been placed near the bomb so that it would be spread in the explosion and infect anyone nearby," Rouge said. "Guess the bomb just didn't touch the glass tube. God, I can't believe I didn't realize what that was right away..."

"How long after contact with the gel did he collapse?" the doctor asked.

"Maybe twenty, thirty seconds," Sonic said.

"That's very disturbing news," the doctor said. "A virus that spreads and begins causing damage that quickly is very dangerous. What's more is we don't know how many ways it can be spread. Could be through contact with infected substances, could be ingested, could be inhaled, all number of ways."

"I sniffed the gel, but I haven't collapsed," Rouge said.

"But you sneezed right after that," Knuckles said. "It probably didn't make it into your body."

"He has a point," the doctor said. "Which brings me to my next point. I'm sorry to tell you this, but collapsed or not, we're going to have to run some tests on all of you to ensure that you haven't been infected, especially the ones who had the closest contact after the first infection. There are cases where one person is more susceptible to certain illnesses than others. Your friend may be one of those cases. If you have been infected, the lot of you would essentially be walking virus breeding grounds. If the virus truly is air communicable, contact with any of you would be highly dangerous."

"Alright," Rouge said with a sigh. "I had planned to go pick up my car tomorrow, but I suppose it can wait."

"I was going to stay here anyway," Sonic said. "I'm not leaving Tails."

"Guess I'll have to call in and tell my employees not to open tomorrow," Amy said.

"If you've got cable TV, I ain't got any complaints," Knuckles said. "But what about you, doc? Won't they have to test you, too, since you've been in contact with us?"

"More than likely, yes," the doctor said. "If you'll all follow me, please, we can get you in and out of here quicker."

* * *

Doesn't Tails just have all the luck? Don't worry though, for all of you who think I'm going to wind up killing him before this is over, things will get better. Just, not right off the bat. As always, review away. By the way, am I really THAT good? I know I'm the oddball who actually pays attention in English class, but still... 


	34. Need to Know Basis

**Chapter 34: Need to Know Basis**

"It's really weird," Shadow said to Salia, who'd dropped in for another unannounced visit, this time in the middle of the day. "I went to sleep the other night after I got back from the doctor, and when I woke up, the burn was just... gone. I mean, yeah, it's still bald right there, but it just looks like I trimmed it or something."

"It does, doesn't it?" Salia said. "I wonder why Dave never told me that it had done that."

"He's still hanging around, huh?" Shadow asked. "Why does he never show up with you anymore?"

"He has to sleep too, you know," Salia said. "We've been taking turns watching you from a distance."

"Remind me why you've been doing that," Shadow said.

"We can't have you talking about what you've seen," Salia said. "You saw the device and what it can do. Think how many people would kill for something like that."

"I'm sure they would," Shadow said, standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I still have six Emeralds to find." He strode over to the door and pulled it open. Salia stepped out first, and as she walked past Shadow, a very small glint caught his eye. Normally he wouldn't have paid any attention, but the fact that it came from INSIDE Salia's ear intrigued him. He grabbed her upper arm so that she'd know not to go anywhere just yet, then stepped out behind her.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What's that in your ear?" Shadow asked.

"It's nothing," she said a little too quickly.

"Yeah, and in the movies they say it's nothing when they get shot," Shadow said. This time he asked more firmly, "What it is?"

"It's a miniature one-way radio," Salia said after a moment's hesitation. "In case something happens to me."

"I'm sure that's partlywhat it's for," Shadow said. "But I'm sure there's something else, too. You were a little too hesitant to talk about it as if it were just your insurance policy. What's it REALLY for?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that, Shadow," Salia said nervously, as though she were expecting something. "Maybe when your task is complete, but not now. I'm on a rather short leash, so to speak."

"You mean I'm on a need to know basis, and I don't need to know," Shadow said. "What's the matter, afraid your boss will fire you if you say too much, or something?"

"More than you know, Shadow," Salia said. She turned her head slightly, and looked down. "I should go. Someone could see us together, and I'm sure you don't want rumors about you flying around."

"Not really," Shadow said, letting go of Salia.

"You should get going," she said. "My employer is patient, but like anyone else, his patience will run thin if you take too long."

"Right," Shadow said. He pulled his door shut and locked it, then stuckthe key inside of his gloveand skated off toward town.

* * *

"Something doesn't add up," Shadow was later saying to himself in the public library. "If they're watching so closely, why does she need some kind of radio for them to know what we're doing? I can understand that they wouldn't be able to hear, but if I was trying to kill her, rape her, or scare her into telling me what I want to know, they'd be able to see that in a big damn hurry. And why does she never use a name when she talks about her employer?" He turned his gaze to the next shelf, where he found what he was looking for: a book about the Emeralds. He took it down from the shelf, then he turned and headed toward the tables a few rows down. As he passed by, he reached out and took the C encyclopedia off another shelf. He stepped up to a chair he'd already pulled out and set the books down, then he sat down himself. He opened the encyclopedia first and searched for Chaos Emeralds. He didn't find that subject anywhere in the reference book, so he set it aside and picked up the smaller of the two books. He opened it and began to look over the table of contents. He noticed something he found interesting rather quickly: a chapter titled "The Chaos World." At this point, someone tapped Shadow on the shoulder. He turned his head and looked up. It was one of the librarians, carrying several books.

"Find everything you were looking for, sir?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Shadow said with a nod. The librarian nodded and headed over to return the books to their shelves. Shadow looked back at his book, and looked at the chapter title he'd seen. "The Chaos World... I THOUGHT I'd heard that somewhere before. Guess that's what it's really called, and I didn't realize it." He turned to it, then began reading.

* * *

_Interesting, _Shadow thought. _The Chaos World changes its layout when this world is threatened. Seems a little odd, though. This book doesn't say how the world knows when to change. I wonder who would know that, though... Maybe Rouge would know. If she doesn't know every single detail of every single rumor about every single famous jewel on the planet, no one does. How convenient, I was planning to go see her pretty soon anyway._ Shadow stood up and stretched, his back popping in six places at once.He picked up the book he'd been reading and the encyclopedia, then returned them to their shelves. He decided to go grab a bite to eat before he went to see if Rouge was home, so once he was outside, he skated off in the direction of a nearby burger stand. He had to stop at a crosswalk on the way, and he happened to glance off to one side while he waited for the light to turn red. His eyes went wide as he saw one of the old Missing Person posters hanging up. The picture on the poster was Salia's picture.

* * *

Sorry about the much shorter chapter, but there really wasn't too much for me to put into this one. It's basically here to show that Shadow's alive and kicking, and that he's begun to notice some really odd shit. Too bad he doesn't watch the news more often, otherwise he'd be loaded down with weirdness. Well, enjoy, and lemme know what you think(besides that it's too short). 


	35. Test Day

**CHAPTER 35: Test Day**

"Of course you all realize, some of these tests will hurt," Dr. Martin, the gray squirrel doctor, said while Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge were signing themselves in. "Unless you experience a sudden nosebleed, the blood test will be the most obvious one. I will not be administering the tests, so there may be a few more. That decision rests with the director, I'm afraid. The only advice I can offer you is to stay relaxed, and don't be intimidated if someone picks up what appears to be a rather large probe." At this point, everyone's eyes had gone wide.

* * *

"I wonder if there'll be more painful tests than the blood test," Amy said nervously. She had been scheduled to be tested first, followed by Rouge, then Sonic, and lastly Knuckles. (Dr. Martin had been scheduled for a later time.) The four of them were presently sitting in a waiting room inside the hospital's quarantined section, wearing rather drab hospital gowns. (They'd been admitted as overnight "guests".) Beyond one airtight security door lay the antechamber leading to the rest of the hospital. Through another door was a testing room, and through the third door was a hall leading to each of the rooms waiting for occupation. These rooms all lacked windows and were closed withairtight doors. However, because of all thesedoors, moving a patient in or out of this section tended to be a delayed process, so the life support equipment in this section was of an even higher quality than that of the rest of the hospital. 

"Could be," Knuckles said.

"I already hate needles," Amy continued. "As if the prospect of one being stuck in me for more than three seconds isn't bad enough, now they're probably going to stick some other unpleasant things in me."

"Could be worse," Sonic said. "Just warn them if you have to sneeze, otherwise you'll come away hating needles even worse."

"I wonder if they're going to do the other type of blood test I've heard about," Knuckles said.

"Other type?" Amy repeated, going slightly white. Her quills covered up most of this, but the area around her mouth still revealed it. Before Knuckles could elaborate, though, Rouge gave him a sharp smack on the back of the head.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

"Stop feeding her that Internet bullshit!" Rouge scolded. "Don't listen to him Amy, he's just trying to see how worked up he can get you."

"I know," Amy said. "But I gotta admit, now I'm curious, if a bit nervous."

"I'll tell you once your tests are over, how's that?" Knuckles said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Alright," Amy said. At this moment, a doctor opened the door leading to the testing room. He walked in wearing a green suit composed of thick plastic, the openings duct taped shut. The suit's face consisted of a large plastic visor. An air line was running through the door, into the back of the suit. The human inside had a kind face, his blue eyes on Amy.

"Ready for you, miss," he said.

"Uh..." Amy said, hesitating.

"I know the suit's intimidating," the doctor said, "but I assure you, there's no reason to be afraid."

"Right..." Amy said, getting up. She looked back at the others. Rouge gave her a thumbs-up, Knuckles grinned, and Sonic gave her a quick nod. She turned back around and walked into the room behind the door. The doctor closed and sealed the door, then motioned to a table with a padded top in the middle of the room.

"Please, have a seat," he said.

"This looks kinda like an operating room, just with less operating equipment," Amy said. Asshe sat down, she looked back toward the door and saw that the doctor's air line was attached to an air pump in the wall.

"We use the O.R. in the outer section of the hospital, even when the patient is resting in this section," the doctor said. "By the way, my name is Dr. Lang."

"I'm Amy," Amy said. "I'd shake your hand, but that's probably not a good idea, is it?"

"I'd say it probably isn't," Dr. Lang agreed. "But I'm rather optimistic, to tell you the truth. You and your friends have shown no signs of any form of illness, except your red friend's slight lack of nourishment."

"He lives on a remote island," Amy said. "It's not exactly the easiest place to pick up a hamburger when you get hungry. Still, he gets by."

"Indeed," Dr. Lang said. "Okay, let's get this out of the way, and you can go back to your room and watch TV or something."

"Alright," Amy said. "By the way, my friend Knuckles was saying something about a different kind of blood test from the normal kind. Any idea what he was talking about?"

"Oh, jeez, not that old wives' tale again," Dr. Lang groaned. "I've heard that so many times, I'm about ready to pass a brick and throw it at someone."

"What was he talking about?" Amy asked. Dr. Lang sighed.

"Well, this originated on an Internet message board, but it apparently gained a lot of prestige," he said. "There's a rumor that, rather than piercing a vein with a needle and drawing blood that way, a woman waited until her period, then collected the fluids in a cup and gave that to her doctor. I don't know WHERE this came from, but it's not a true story. If it were, it would have been documented. Believe me, it's just a fairy tale."

"Well, I think I'd prefer to be able to do that," Amy said. "I mean, it's kind of gross, but then again, I despise needles."

"Don't worry too much about that part," Dr. Lang said. "The process hurts, but it doesn't last."

"That's not much consolation," Amy said. Dr. Lang picked up a blood presure monitor.

"Arm please," he said. Amy complied. "Alright, just make a fist please. Oh yeah, you'll probably feel a little pressure." Amy laughed as she balled up her hand. Dr. Lang strapped the device around her upper arm and squeezed the little rubber ball on the end until the device had inflated. He read the small meter for several moments, then he twisted a little knob and deflated the device.

"How's it look?" Amy asked as she relaxed her arm.

"Fine," Dr. Lang said, removing the blood pressure monitor. "Normally, I'd want to listen to your heartbeat too, but there's no way I'd be able to use a stethoscope through this suit. Ah well, no big deal." He put the blood monitor down and picked up a probe. "Know what this is for?"

"No," Amy said, eyes wide. The probe had to have been at least eighteen inches long.

"Neither do I," Dr. Lang said with a chuckle. "They KNOW these aren't needed for the tests. I THINK they intended for me to do an anal probe, but that really wouldn't help matters any." Amy laughed a little, and relaxed. Her eyes went wide again when Dr. Lang picked up a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. He wetted the cotton with the alcohol, then rubbed it on Amy's arm. Then he picked up a syringe.

"I don't suppose you have any kind of numbing drugs, do you?" Amy asked.

"We do, but I'd have to inject it," Dr. Lang said. "Figures, huh?" Amy didn't reply. "Just relax, don't move, and I'll do this as quickly as I can." He opened up the plastic the syringe was sealed in, then removed the plastic safety cap. Amy shut her eyes tight and turned her head away. Dr. Lang lifted her arm gently, then pierced her skin with the needle. A few seconds later, he removed it. Amy looked at it, and saw that it was empty.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Your vein rolled away," Dr. Lang said. "Sorry, but I'll have to give it another try." Amy gritted her teeth, turned away, and closed her eyes again. Once again came the pain, but this time, when Dr. Lang removed the needle, the pain came again. Again. Again. After four tries, Dr. Lang gave up.

"Guess you won't be able to get anything, huh?" Amy said. Dr. Lang shook his head.

"There's always another way to do it," he said. "It's not pleasant, either."

"You're not gonna have to pin my vein down with one needle and stick me with another, are you?" Amy asked nervously.

"Nope, just need one needle," Dr. Lang said. "We call it the butterfly needle. Where the name came from is something I still haven't figured out. It's basically just a really small needle, designed specifically for rollers. I'll be back in a moment." He turned and left the room through another door, this one right beside the one leading to the waiting room. He didn't close the door, which meant he didn't have to go far. He opened what looked like a cabinet from Amy's point of view, and as she leaned forward, she saw it was a storage room. She saw the butterfly needle when Dr. Lang pulled it down.

_That doesn't look so bad,_ she thought. _That thing's TINY. I probably won't even feel it._ Dr. Lang came out holding the butterfly needle and a tongue depresser, which he handed to Amy.

"You might want to bite down on that," he warned.

"Nah, that thing doesn't look so bad," Amy said. "I probably won't feel a thing."

"Alright," Dr. Lang said. "This is very important. DO NOT MOVE, understand?" Amy nodded. Dr. Lang unwrapped the butterfly needle, then lowered it to Amy's arm...

* * *

"Wonder how long it's gonna take," Sonic said. 

"Shouldn't be too long," Rouge said. "Unless they're doing a really thorough job. Heh heh, bet it's not as thorough as what they did to me during my physical when I went to work for the government. This is probably gonna be a cinch."

"They're probably gonna stick probes up our asses and wiggle them around," Knuckles said.

"Knuckles-" Rouge began, but she was cut off.

"OW! OH MY GOD!" Amy's voice cried out through the door. Sonic, Rouge, and Knuckles all stared at the door, wide-eyed, turning extremely pale. As with Amy, you couldn't really tell, except for the area around their mouths. Even their noses had gone slightly white.

"Uh..." Rouge said, stunned.

"I'm outta here!" Knuckles exclaimed. He jumped up and ran toward the door leading to the rest of the hospital. He punched it as he approached- then jerked his hand back, shaking it. "OW! You mother fucker!" At this point, the door to the testing room opened, and Amy stepped out, holding her arm, fighting back tears. Sonic jumped up and ran to her.

"Amy, what happened!?" he demanded.

"It was that butterfly needle," Amy said through choked sobs. "It felt like a damn knife." Sonic pulled her into a hug, and Knuckles kept shaking his hand. If he'd had any money, he'd have bet it all that he'd broken his hand. Dr. Lang leaned out of the testing room.

"Next," he said simply. Rouge turned her head slightly and looked toward Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy out the corner of her eye. Amy couldn't see her, but Sonic and Knuckles were bothing grinning fairly widely at her. She gave a very small, very nervous laugh, then walked into the testing room. Once Dr. Lang had the door sealed, he turned around and saw that Rouge had already made herself comfortable.

"Let's get this over with," she said.

"Your tone sounds a lot like I'd expect it to if I'd called you in here to rape you," Dr. Lang said. "Well, I'm sure you heard through the door, didn't you?"

"Loud and clear," Rouge said.

"Well, let me console you with this: if your veins don't roll, no butterfly needle for you," Dr. Lang said. "I'm Dr. Lang, by the way."

"Name's Rouge," Rouge said. "How did Amy's tests go?"

"Well, obviously we haven't had time to test the blood sample I took, but her blood pressure seems fine," Dr. Lang said. "I told her that the urine test has yet to come, though. I thought after the butterfly needle, she'd be very unwilling to cooperate any further just yet."

"I would be too," Rouge said.

"Overall, I'm rather optimistic," Dr. Lang said. "None of you is showing any of the symptoms that your friend Tails is showing, which means that you're more than likely in the clear."

"I see you're still not taking any chances," Rouge said.

"Standard procedure, I'm afraid," Dr. Lang said. "I'd like to remove it, myself, but rules are rules."

"So, what tests are you going to conduct, anyway?" Rouge asked.

"Blood pressure, the standard blood sample test, and a urine test," Dr. Lang replied.

"These are pretty secure conditions for something so simple, you think?" Rouge said.

"Hey, I just do what I'm told, or what's best for the patients," Dr. Lang said. "I suppose I should reverse those, though, if you want them in order of importance."

"What's with the huge-ass probe?" Rouge asked, picking up the huge probe that Amy had thought was going to be shoved into her.

"I'd like to know that myself," Dr. Lang said. "I'm thinking that someone intended for me to administer an anal probe to someone, but I don't really think it's necessary."

"You never know," Rouge said. "Maybe they think it's possible that the virus can be spread through contact with fecal matter."

"It's possible," Dr. Lang agreed, "but I still don't think there's any threat there. Seriously, who in their right mind would touch that?"

"Better test that, just in case," Rouge said. "But I think the best place to get the... sample would be from Tails, since he's the only CONFIRMED case of this thing."

"Indeed," Dr. Lang said. "You're quite perceptive, aren't you?"

"Have to be in my old line of work," Rouge said proudly.

"What line of work is that?" Dr. Lang asked.

"I could tell you but I'd have to kill you," Rouge said with a grin.

"Fair enough," Dr. Lang said. "I can understand how some lines of work would be top secret." He picked up the blood pressure monitor. "Well, let's get this out of the way. You're probably not headed anywhere until we've confirmed that you're not going to turn into walking virus machines." Rouge shook her head, then held out her arm: she'd been through all this before, so she knew the drill. After her blood pressure had been taken, Dr. Lang picked up the bottle of rubbing alcohol and another cotton ball.

"That's not a butterfly, is it?" Rouge asked, pointing to the syringe beside where the alcohol had been sitting.

"No," Dr. Lang said. "That one's the regular size. We won't need a butterfly unless your veins roll around. Let's find out, shall we?" He applied the alcohol to Rouge's arm, then he picked up the syringe. Once he'd opened it and pulled off the safety cap, Rouge took a deep breath. She took the needle rather well compared to Amy, not even making a sound. Once Dr. Lang removed the needle, Rouge breathed out and resumed breathing normally.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I was expecting," she said. "Guess I've forgotten how little those things actually hurt."

"Well, the butterfly sure does," Dr. Lang said as he applied a Band-Aid to the puncture. "I don't suppose you have to use the restroom?"

"Nope," Rouge said. "Even if I did a few minutes ago, when Amy screamed, I'd have lost it." Dr. Lang laughed.

"Alright, we'll do that later," he said. "Go on back to your room or somewhere. Send Sonic in on your way out, too, please."

* * *

"I knew something really bad was going to happen in there," Amy said, looking at her arm. She hadn't given Dr. Lang any time to put a Band-Aid on it, so it had bled about as freely as a few tiny holes like those were going to bleed. 

"Could've been worse," Knuckles said. "He could've shoved a probe up your- Tails!"

"What?" Amy said, looking at Knuckles. He was looking toward the door leading back to their rooms, which was now open. Tails was standing on the other side of the doorway, looking around. His eyes were only open enough to see. His fur was extremely untidy, and he was panting.

"Tails, what are you doing up?" Sonic asked, walking over to him.

"Go back to bed!" Amy exclaimed. "There's no way you're not still sick!"

"Where are we?" Tails asked in a slurred tone: he was still half asleep.

"Main Street Hospital," Knuckles said, getting up and walking toward Tails. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

"Leave me alone," Tails muttered. "It's too hot in my room. It's too hot in here, too, in fact." He walked over to Rouge's empty chair and sat down, looking at the floor.

"How are you feeling, besides too hot?" Amy asked.

"I threw up," Tails mumbled. "So I'm not feeling too good. At least the water in my bathroom works."

"Do you still feel sick to your stomach?" Amy asked.

"No, just really hot and tired," Tails mumbled. "Now it's my turn. What are you guys doing in these stupid gowns?"

"They thought we might have caught whatever you have," Sonic said. "They insisted that we stay a couple of nights for testing and observation. Whatever it is you have, it's a completely new strain. They know nothing about it, except that it's a virus."

"Guess it was supposed to go off with the bomb," Tails mumbled. "I wonder how that thin glass didn't break before I got my hand on it. Between Knuckles smashing that robot up and that bomb going off, it seems like it wouldn't have had an icicle's chance in Hell." He looked up at Amy's face for no real reason, and saw that she'd been crying a little. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh..." Amy said, looking down at her arm. "The doctor had some trouble drawing my blood because my vein rolled around. He had to use a special needle. It felt like a hot knife."

"Jeez," Tails muttered, shaking his head. "I THOUGHT I heard a scream. That's what woke me up."

"Sorry," Amy apologized. "I didn't know I'd been that loud."

"Wait, where's Rouge?" Tails asked, looking around. "Is she being tested right now, or is she in her room?"

"I was being tested," Rouge said, stepping out. "You're up, Sonic."

"Drat," Sonic said. Then he added with some sarcasm, "What perfect timing." He got up and headed into the testing room.

"What are you doing up, Tails?" Rouge asked.

* * *

"So Doc, what all are you gonna do?" Sonic asked. "I've gathered that you're gonna be taking blood, but that's it." 

"That, your blood pressure, and a urine test," Dr. Lang said. "There would be more, but I was instructed only to perform those three. More extensive testing will be performed on your friend Tails, as he's the only one confirmed to be infected. Blood, saliva, urine, and even a fecal test, I expect. Every possible way that a virus can be spread must be explored. However, we're going to wait until he wakes up, first."

"He's out there right now, Doc," Sonic said. "When Amy screamed, it woke him up."

"He's awake?" Dr. Lang repeated. "And you didn't send him back to bed?"

"We tried to, but he refused," Sonic said. "He said it's too hot in his room, and in the waiting room."

"Well, I'll let him have a few minutes to sit and talk, but once you're finished here, I'm taking him back to his room," Dr. Lang said. "He should be resting, not up and walking about."

"You sure that space suit'll be able to keep out the virus, if it's that contagious?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not worried about catching it from him," Dr. Lang said. "None of you has, as far as I can see. No one's fainted yet."

"You're sure not taking any chances, though," Sonic said.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Rouge," Dr. Lang said. "Standard prodecure. I'd remove it if I could, but rules are rules. Also, my name's Dr. Lang."

"Sonic," Sonic said. "Pleasure."

"Pleasure's all mine," Dr. Lang said casually. "While I'm still thinking about it, did Tails say anything about how he felt?"

"He said he was really hot, for one," Sonic said. "He also said he's really tired, and that he threw up."

"Uh oh," Dr. Lang said. "I hope he made it to the bathroom first."

"If he didn't, at least you'll have one of the samples you'll need to test," Sonic said. He picked up the tongue depresser that Amy had left behind, rested it in his palm, and knocked on it.

"Good thinking," Dr. Lang said. "Well, time to get down to business. I imagine your blood pressure's probably going to reflect some of the best health I've ever seen, what with all the exercise you get." He picked up the blood pressure monitor and wrapped it around Sonic's arm(you have no idea how repetitive it is typing this...), and inflated it. Sonic already knew to make a fist, and did so without prompting.

"How, if I may ask, do you plan to get a shit sample from Tails to test?" Sonic asked.

"I won't," Dr. Lang said. "Another doctor will. Assuming, of course, that they actually test that." He deflated the blood monitor.

"I think it might be about time for that urine test," Sonic said. "I've gotta go, right now." Dr. Lang handed him a small plastic cup.

"Fill that about halfway," he said. "You know where the bathrooms are, I expect." Sonic left the room.

* * *

On the way back in to the testing room, Sonic tried to conceal the cup, but he failed. Miserably. Knuckles busted out laughing. 

"Scared of the needle, Sonic?" he exclaimed through his laughter. Sonic just shook his head and walked back into the testing room. Rouge thumped Knuckles on the head again.

* * *

"Someone out there's a little tickled, huh?" Dr. Lang asked. 

"Do me a favor," Sonic said. "When Knuckles comes in here, come as close as possible to administering an anal probe without actually doing it. We'll see how high and mighty he is once you do that."

"You've got it," Dr. Lang said. "That'll come last, though. I don't want him running out before I can perform the REAL tests." He picked up the alcohol and a cotton ball once more, and rubbed Sonic's arm down. Then came the syringe. Sonic gritted his teeth and groaned a little when the needle pierced his skin, but he didn't make a sound beyond that. Once Dr. Lang removed the needle, he set it on a tray beside the ones containing Rouge and Amy's blood. The spot was already labeled with Sonic's name, which was written a small strip of masking tape.

"All done, I take it?" Sonic asked.

"Yes," Dr. Lang said. "Now, you go to your room or back to the waiting room, and I'll go deal with Tails before Knuckles gets in here."

* * *

"You know what Knuckles?" Rouge asked. "When you get in there, I bet you have it almost as bad as Amy had it." 

"No way," Knuckles said. "No needle could hurt that bad, not to me."

"Your face sure didn't say that when I looked at you," Amy said. Tails laughed a little.

"The doctor's gonna draw the blood from your crotch, Knuckles," he said, his voice still slurred. "Karma will get you for all the taunting, I guarantee."

"I'll bet you have it even worse than all of us," Knuckles retorted. Rouge thumped him again. He looked at her and said, "Would you stop that?"

"When you do, I will," Rouge said with a frown. At this moment, out came Sonic and Dr. Lang. They both walked over to Tails and looked down at him.

"What?" Tails asked.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, young man," Dr. Lang said. "You're going to have to go back to bed. You need your rest."

"It's too hot in there," Tails mumbled. "And in here. I'm burning up as it is." Amy reached over and put her hand on his muzzle.

"It's just you, " she said. "You're burning up, alright. You don't feel any better than you did last night."

"The tap water in the bathrooms is safe for drinking," Dr. Lang said. "Why don't you go have a drink, then lie down for a while?"

"I threw up on my bed," Tails muttered. Dr. Lang slapped his visor with one hand.

"What luck," he said.

* * *

Long chapter, huh? It's not over, either. Knuckles hasn't been tested yet. Heheheheheh. This is gonna be a fun one. Don't worry, I'll include it later... I know, I know, you're just LEAPING for joy, aren't you? Still, just like with the others, his test will have a twist or two, heh heh. Lemme know what you think. 


	36. Just Another Day

**Author's note:** To to the boring repetitiveness involved, I am not going to lay out Knuckles's entire test. Only the part of it worth reading. If you want the full test, read someone else's test in the previous chapter, remove the dialogue, and replace that person's name with Knuckles's.

* * *

**CHAPTER 36: Just Another Day**

"It's boring around here," Sonic complained, sitting in the waiting room, drumming his fingers on his chair. By this time, this room had become the unofficial living room of the quarantine section. The chairs had been moved around for the sake of personal space. Amy was sitting right next to Sonic, which didn't bother either of them. Across from them was Rouge, and another chair for Knuckles was a few feet back. (Knuckles was currently in his room watching TV.)

"It could be worse," Amy said. "You could have been Knuckles." She, Rouge and Sonic all laughed heartily.

"Nah, I got the worse end of the deal!" Sonic said through his laughter, pointing to his black lefteye.

**:::Earlier that day...:::**

"Well, the good news is, your blood pressure is normal, and we should have the results of the blood and urine tests back tomorrow, or even later today," Dr. Lang had said. "The bad news is, I've still got a test to perform. It's rather unpleasant, too."

"What is it?" Knuckles had asked nervously, going slightly pale. Dr. Lang had picked up a large probe before he'd finished.

"I have reason to believe you may have worms living in your intestinal tract," he had said in a sad tone. "I'm going to have to do a little check. Would you please lie down on your stomach for me, so I can get this overwith?" Knuckles's eyes had gone very wide, his pupils just tiny dots.

"You stick that in me, I'll stab you in the heart with it," he'd said in a blank tone. Dr. Lang had burst out laughing at this point.

"Sorry!" he had said. "I had to, Sonic put me up to it!" Knuckles had gritted his teeth, walked out into the waiting room, and punched Sonic right in the eye. No one had made a move to stop him, as they could all hear the laughter and knew what had happened.

**:::Back in the present... and away from this past participle bullshit...:::**

"Man, that punch hurt, though," Sonic said, his laughter dying away.

"It looked like fun, though," Rouge said. "You should've seen the way you flew out of that chair!" She and Amy laughed some more, Sonic only grinning feebly.

"Should've taken a picture, it would've lasted longer," he said. "Least the chair survived the fall in decent shape."

"Ah, you're perfectly fine," Amy said. "No substance on this planet could crack your skull!"

"Ow, that hurt," Sonic said, faking emotional distress. "I might need a painkiller."

"Hey Sonic, did you ever consider a job in acting?" Rouge asked.

"No," Sonic said, scratching behind his left ear. "Why?"

"Well if you do, don't quit your day job," Rouge said, laughing again.

"Joke's on you Rouge, I don't have one!" Sonic exclaimed, laughing with her.

"Hey, keep it down out there!" Knuckles called out. "M.A.S.H. is coming on!"

"Shut your door Knuckles!" Amy called back. "You'd be amazed how well it works!" At this point, Tails pulled his door open and stuck his head out.

"I'm trying to sleep in here!" he yelled. "Keep it down!"

"Yeah, sure, Tails," Knuckles called out. "Just as soon as they all quiet down." Tails narrowed his eyes and walked into Knuckles's room.

"What's he fixing to do?" Rouge asked, standing up. A second later, they found out as banging noises rung out.

"HEY!" Knuckles shouted. "WHAT THE HELL- OW! YOU LITTLE- OW! DAMN IT!"

"Uh..." Amy began. Tails walked out of Knuckles's room just then, and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Um, Tails, what were those banging noises we heard?" Rouge asked. Tails flicked his tails rather irritably.

"I can support the weight of three people very easily with these," he said. "If you think I can't make them hurt, you're out of your mind." He stalked back to his room and slammed his door shut as well.

"Je-SUS," Sonic said. "What's got him in such a bad mood?"

"I don't know," Rouge said. Amy walked to Knuckles's door, opened it, and looked inside.

"Well, at least he turned the TV off," she said.

"Is Knuckles alive?" Sonic asked.

"Oh yeah, he's alive," Amy said. "He's breathing. But Tails did a number on him, for sure. He's out cold, on his knees, his face pressed against the wall. I think he's drooling."

"God," Rouge said. "Why did Tails lose his temper like that, and at one of his friends, to boot? He's always so docile, except toward anybody evil."

"I think he's flipped," Amy said, pulling Knuckles's door shut. "Call Dr. Lang, would you? I think Knuckles is gonna need an ice pack and a body cast."

"No need," Rouge said. "Dr. Martin should be just down the hall. He should be able to take care of Knuckles."

"I should be, yes," Dr. Martin said, coming around the corner. "What was all the noise?"

"Tails just kicked Knuckles's ass for some reason," Sonic said, pointing to the door Amy had just closed. "Have a look." Dr. Martin stepped up to the door and looked inside.

"Wow, " he said. "What a mess. What exactly did he do? Did he say?"

"It had something to do with his tails," Rouge said. "God knows how many ways he can cream someone with them."

"Probably a lot more than we can imagine," Dr. Martin said. He stepped into the room and picked Knuckles up from behind, lifting the echidna's limp form off the floor by his underarms. Dr. Martin added, "Evidently, he knows how to take a person down in less than three hits. There's only two red marks." He dragged Knuckles back onto his bed, then covered him up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Can a virus cause someone to go nuts like that, or was Tails really THAT pissed off?" Sonic asked.

"This is a new strain we're dealing with, so we can't afford to overlook any possibility," Dr. Martin replied. "He must be at least partially in his right mind, unless the TV turned itself off, or unless he stepped on the remote."

"How'd you know the TV wasn't already off?" Rouge asked.

"I heard someone mention it as I was coming down the hall," Dr. Martin said.

"Oh," Rouge said.

"I take it you all have had your tests done already?" Dr. Martin asked.

"Yeah," Sonic said. "I got a souvenir from Knuckles after his test was done." He pointed to his eye.

"What'd you do, ask Dr. Lang to probe him?" Dr. Martin asked.

"How'd you know?" Sonic asked.

"Oldest trick in the book," Dr. Martin replied casually. "It's been around ever since someone first conceived the idea of anal probing." Everyone had a hearty laugh from that. Tails stuck his head out his door again as they finished.

"Don't make me come out there again," he threatened. "You saw what I did the first time." When he saw that everyone had shut up, he slammed his door again.

"Perhaps we should all return to our rooms and have a nap," Dr. Martin said, not turning his head away from Tails's door. "Maybe he'll be in a better mood later."

"Yeah," Sonic, Amy, and Rouge all said at the same time.

"It's boring enough around here, so I imagine passing out wouldn't be too hard," Amy said.

"I'd have to agree," Dr. Martin said, turning away from Tails's door. "Sometimes, when we have patients who aren't going to be leaving for a while, I ask their families to bring books with them the next time they come to visit." Sonic stretched and headed to his room, right next to Amy's, who was across from Tails.

"I'm going to watch TV for a while," Rouge said, heading to her room as well. Hers was next door to Knuckles, and nearest to the waiting room.

"I'm going to retire as well," Dr. Martin said. He turned and walked back around the corner, heading back to his room. Alone in the hall, Amy looked at Tails's door one last time, then headed to her room as well.

* * *

"Hey, Knuckles, wake up," Rouge said. Knuckles stirred, but he didn't open his eyes. "KNUCKLES!" He jerked awake.

"What'd you gotta shout at me for?" he asked groggily, rubbing the side of his head.

"Dr. Lang has some new information he wanted to share with us," Rouge said. "I think you should hear it more than any of us."

"What time is it?" Knuckles asked, sitting up.

"Getting close to 4:00," Rouge said. She turned and left the room, followed by Knuckles a few moments later. He walked out into the waiting room, where Sonic, Amy, Rouge, Dr. Martin, and Dr. Lang, holding a clipboard, were all waiting. The big surprise was, Dr. Lang wasn't wearing his "space suit".

"Ah, man, you got my chair," Knuckles said to Dr. Martin.

"Sorry," Dr. Martin said. "First come, first serve."

"I'm sure you've all noticed that I'm wearing a white lab coat, rather than that insanely uncomfortable biohazard suit," Dr. Lang said. "Lab tests so far have determined that the virus is not air communicable. We've had mice breathing Tails's air via convector ever since you all got here, and they're fine and frisky. As for other transfer methods, we're still figuring it out. So far, contact with infected fluids is the only method by which it can be contracted that we know of."

"This means that visitors will be allowed," Dr. Martin added. "Unfortunately, no one can be released yet, not until tests confirm that none of us is infected."

"Wonderful," Knuckles said. "Least I'll be able to sit around and watch TV for a while longer."

"Lucky you," Amy mumbled.

"Anyway, going on," Dr. Lang cut in. "We've already made some discoveries as to the effects of the virus. It's a highly unusual one. Most viruses attack body cells and replicate out of control, but this one is different. While it does attack body cells and replicate, it doesn't begin replication immediately. We monitored several infected mice, and took tissue samples from several parts of their bodies as quickly as possible. We've determined that the virus only attacks cells near the brain. As well as replication, the virus forces infected cells to create a special chemical used by the brain to control bodily functions. It's essentially an aggression hormone, so to speak. The victim will become extremely irritable, becoming violent with very little provocation. We obeserved this with the mice we were testing. We attempted to move one of the infected mice, but it tried to bite. Once it was caught, it was placed with three healthy mice. They approached it to have a look, and it killed them all."

"Jeez," Sonic said.

"Now we know what that was about," Rouge said.

"I'm sorry?" Dr. Lang said.

"Tails beat the living hell out of Knuckles earlier for what seemed like no reason at all," Sonic said. "Guess now we know why."

"Indeed," Dr. Lang said. "Unfortunately, this is about the extent of what we've found out. You've already seen the virus's other effects. Fainting, fever, vomiting, and the like. They appeared in the mice as well. From two key pieces of evidence, I've come to the conclusion that this is an artifically manufactured virus."

"What evidence?" Amy asked.

"The fact that the virus came from a gelatinous breeding environment, for one," Dr. Lang stated. "The other is, all known viruses that occur in nature simply replicate. They don't manufacture chemicals to confuse the body and cause emotional reactions."

"I have a question," Sonic said. "How long did it take the virus to start making copies in the mice?"

"Close to a minute," Dr. Lang replied. "Why?"

"Well, it got to Tails in half that time," Sonic said. "How can that happen when Tails is hundreds of times the size of a mouse?"

"I don't know," Dr. Lang said.

"I have a hypothesis," Dr. Martin spoke up. "Perhaps the virus entered his bloodstream through a vein, in which the blood is en route back to the heart. Perhaps on the way back, the virus diffused into another blood vessel bound for his head. From there, it simply found a cell and did its thing."

"It makes sense," Rouge said. "I'm not even a doctor, but it's a sound explanation to me."

"What's with the big meeting?" Tails asked, walking into the meeting room. Dr. Lang took a wary step back, and disguised it by looking at the clock: he didn't want to risk provoking Tails.

"Nothing," Dr. Martin said. "We were just socializing. We thought you might like to sleep, so we left you be." He glanced toward the others, who all nodded in agreement: nobody wanted to see how Tails took the thought of people talking about him behind his back.

"Oh," Tails said. He turned his head and looked right at Knuckles. "Sorry about earlier Knuckles. I don't know WHY I flipped out like that."

"I'll let you go this time," Knuckles said casually. "Next time, I'm gonna lay you flat."

"Fair enough," Tails said, turning his head back toward the center of the room. "What time is it?"

"Almost 4:00," Rouge said. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry," Tails said. "Least it's not so hot in here anymore."

"That's good," Amy said.

"Would you like to sit down?" Dr. Martin asked.

"First come, first serve," Tails said, yawning. "If truth be told, what I'd like is a triple baconcheeseburger and an engine block to fix."

"Well, that's a little different," Dr. Lang said. "I've heard of people asking for triple cheeseburgers, but asking for an engine to fix is a new one on me."

"I can imagine," Tails said. He looked Dr. Lang over for a few seconds, blinking a lot, as he was still half-asleep. "No space suit?"

"No, not anymore," Dr. Lang said. "We've confirmed that it's safe to come in without it. Visitors should be allowed, too."

"Cool," Tails said. "Hey, what's on that clipboard?"

"Just some details about the virus that infected you," Dr. Lang said, not seeing any reason to conceal the truth, now that he'd seen that Tails wasn't going to break his neck.

"So you weren't just socializing, then," Tails said. "Why didn't you tell me you had that kind of information?"

"Well..." Dr. Martin began, his voice trailing off.

"That was my idea," Dr. Lang said. "I really did feel it would be best to let you sleep, in case you were still in an irritable mood."

"It wasn't just a moment of pent-up stress breaking loose, was it?" Tails asked.

"No, it wasn't," Dr. Martin said. "The virus isn't just making you sick physically. It's working on you mentally, as well."

"How?" Tails asked, shaking his head as though he'd just been hit in the face.

"Your friends will explain," Dr. Lang said. "I'll go ask a nurse to bring lunch. I know it's a little late, but I'm sure you're probably starving." He turned around and left the room through the antechamber leading to the open section of the hospital.

"Why do I get this feeling that I'm going to hate what I hear?" Tails asked.

* * *

YAI-YAI-YAI-YAI-YAI-YAI-ALRIGHTY THEN!...Sorry, had to throw in a Jim Carrey reference. Don'tknow why. Anyway,another chapter down. A LOT of dialogue, I know. I hope you liked. Let me know what you think. **NOTE:** I had more fun typing out Tails beating Knuckles's ass than you might think. Trust me. 


	37. Word Gets Around Fast

**CHAPTER 37: Word Gets Around Fast...**

"Chaotix Detective Agency, Vector speaking," Vector said, picking up the phone as it rang the second time.

"Vector, this is Amy," Amy said.

"Ah, Amy," Vector said, reclining in his chair once more, putting his feet up on his desk. "Anything new that I need to know about?"

"Something like that, yeah," Amy said. "I need you to do some more digging, this time into the government's biological operations."

"That'll be impossible for me to pull off," Vector said. "That's getting into the realm of illegal stuff. All accesses are logged, and outsiders are traced. They'd be on me like white on a grain of rice in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snowstorm. You'd need an insider to do that, and they'd probably need pretty high-level clearance."

"Damn," Amy said. "Things are getting pretty serious here."

"How so?" Vector asked, sitting up in his chair, putting his feet back on the floor. "What's going on?"

"I'm in Main Street Hospital, along with some friends of mine," Amy explained. "You remember the guy I came to your office with the other night? The fox with two tails? He took offense to your comment about being tailed?"

"Yeah," Vector said.

"Well, after we left, we had to go by his makeshift garage, because some of our other friends were attacked by a robot armed with some nasty stuff," Amy continued. "It had a shotgun and a grenade launcher on it, plus some kind of virus. We think it was supposed to be detonated along with an explosive inside the robot. It didn't go up, and the guy I was with the other night accidentally broke the container it was in and cut his finger on it, and the virus got all in his finger. He fainted less than a minute later. The doctors said it's a completely new strain, and they don't think it's a naturally-occurring one."

"They think it was manufactured," Vector said. "And you think the government might be selling it on the black market. Right?"

"Actually I thought it may have been stolen, but that works too," Amy said.

"What do they know about the virus?" Vector asked.

"They've been doing some tests," Amy said. "They're convinced that only he got sick, but they have to be certain, so they're testing us too. So far, the only way they know of that the virus can be transferred is by contact with infected fluids, so they figure it'll be okay to let us have visitors. The virus itself is kind of odd, too. It attacks near the brain and starts copying itself, like any other virus would. But it also creates some kind of hormone that makes the person violent for little to no reason."

"Weird," Vector said. "They're right, that doesn't sound natural."

"Tell me about it," Amy said. "That's about it as far as what they know."

"Great," Vector said. "Guess from here, all I can do is speculate, since I can't screw around in all that high-security computer stuff."

"Well, that's okay," Amy said. "It was really just wishful thinking on my part, anyway."

"Yeah," Vector said. At this moment, his phone beeped. "Uh oh, got another call coming in. Gotta go."

"Alright," Amy said. "Thanks anyway. Bye."

"Later," Vector said, switching over to his other line.

"Crap," Amy said. "There goes that idea."

* * *

"Hello, may I help you two?" asked the nurse at the check-in desk. In front of her stood Cream, wearing a white dress with her blue neck ribbon, her rather large shoes, and a hair tie, to keep her ears together. Behind her stood a large blue cat with a white belly; a big, bushy tail; long ears, one of which was split halfway down; a large belt around his waist; a small chain with three gold rings on it and an umbrella in a sort of sheathe on his back: Big the Cat.

"We're here to see Amy," he said in a sort of clueless tone.

"Amy, Amy..." the nurse repeated, looking at her computer. "Surname?"

"Rose," Cream said. "We heard she was here."

"Ah, here she is," the nurse said. "She's in the quarantine section, though. Visitors aren't allowed."

"We heard that she was clear for visitors, Miss," Cream said. At this point, Dr. Lang stepped out of the door leading to the quarantine section.

"Hello," he said pleasantly. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, actually," the nurse said. "Have the patients in the quarantine section been cleared for visitors?"

"Yes, they have," Dr. Lang said. Jokingly, he added,"Although I wouldn't recommend going in there, unless you want to risk everyone having sneezing fits."

"We're not worried," Cream said. "Thank you sir."

"My pleasure," Dr. Lang said, heading toward the back of the hospital carrying a plastic container with biohazard labels on it.

"Can we go in now?" Big asked.

"Yes, now that we have that straightened out," the nurse said. She motioned to a clipboard. "Sign in please, and I'll buzz you in. The door's just to the left of the desk." Cream and Big both signed in, and the nurse hit a button on a small panel. A buzzer sounded, and the door unlocked.

* * *

"So what did that guy Vector say when you talked to him?" Rouge asked Amy, about thirty minutes after Amy had spoken to Vector. 

"No dice," Amy said. "He said he wouldn't be able to check anything out. Said it's getting into illegal stuff, and he'd probably need pretty high clearance to get into the system."

"Figures," Rouge said. "Guess we shouldn't have counted on him to be able to do anything, though."

"I didn't, actually," Amy said. Across the waiting room, Sonic and Dr. Martin were teaching Knuckles to play poker, using a deck of cards that Dr. Martin carried around for when he had some spare time.

"What've you got?" Sonic asked.

"Two pair," Dr. Martin said, laying down his hand and rubbing his left arm. (He'd just had his tests.)

"King high," Sonic said, laying his down. Knuckles laid his hand down, shaking his head.

"All I got's two pair," he said. "A pair of ones, and another pair of ones."

"DAMN!" Sonic exclaimed. "Four aces! You little dick!"

"One of the two unbeatable hands," Dr. Martin said. "This is a classic case of beginner's luck."

"Nah, I'm just good!" Knuckles boasted.

"And I'm getting bored," Sonic said. "Think I'll go watch TV for a bit."

"Me too," Knuckles said. "Figure it's best to quit while I'm still ahead." He and Sonic both got up and headed to their rooms. Dr. Martin sighed.

"And I'll just sit here and play solitaire or something," he said to himself. Back across the room, Rouge stretched and watched Knuckles head into his room.

"I think I'm gonna go spend a little quality time with Knuckles," she said. "I figure now would be the best time to hang out in peace, if ever."

"Ah, man," Amy said as Rouge stood up. "What am I gonna do all alone?"

"Spend some time with Sonic," Rouge suggested. "God knows what you can think of to do with all this free time."

"I could use someone to play a couple of hands with," Dr. Martin called over. Before Amy got a chance to reply, the buzzer sounded.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"Someone's coming in," Dr. Martin said. "You never noticed the buzzer before?"

"Not really, no," Amy said. She turned and looked toward the door, and it opened a few seconds later. All she saw was white fur and a belt.

"Mr. Big, you're stuck again!" Cream exclaimed behind Big.

"The door's too small!" Big wailed. "I'm stuck!" Amy's jaw dropped.

"Big!?" she cried, shocked. "Cream!?"

"Hi Amy!" Cream called out. "I brought Mr. Big to see you! But he's stuck!"

"Suck it in, Big!" Amy exclaimed. Big sucked in his gut, and stumbled through the door as Cream fell forward into the room.

"Oof!" she cried as she hit the floor. Big regained his balance, then turned around and helped her up.

"You okay?"he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Cream said, shaking her head a little. Big turned around and pulled Amy into a hug tight enough to suffocate a person.

"HI AMY!" he exclaimed.

"Big!" Amy sputtered. "Big, you're crushing me! Lighten up!"

"Oh, sorry," Big apologized, lightening up.

"I'm glad to see you too, but try to control yourself," Amy said, gasping for air.

"Sorry," Big repeated. "I'm just happy to see you."

"Like I said, I'm glad to see you too," Amy said. "How long has it been, like five years now?"

"I think so," Big said, thinking.

"Hey Cream, how did you know I was here?" Amy asked. "I never told you, did I?"

"I remembered you said you went to that Chaotix place," Cream said, "so I called them and asked if they were still working for you. The person I talked to said he'd just gotten off the phone with you. I told him I was a friend of yours, and he told me where you were."

"Vector told you?" Amy repeated. "And he tells ME to be careful."

"He remembered me," Cream said. "Remember, I think it was six years ago, we all had to team up to beat that huge robot? When I gave him my description, he recognized me from back then."

"He remembered that for that long?" Amy asked blankly. "Wow, that's good memory. But, why didn't you just call my cell phone?"

"We tried, but it said you were unavailable," Cream said.

"What's that?" Big asked, sniffing the air.

"What's what?" Amy asked.

"Smells like food," Big said.

"Oh," Amy said. "We had kind of a late lunch."

"Where's everyone else, Amy?" Cream asked. "Are they in their rooms?"

"Yeah," Amy said. She pointed at Knuckles's room and added, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you. God knows what Rouge and Knuckles are doing in there. You can go in the other ones though. Just be careful if you go in the one on the end. Tails is in there. He's slightly messed up in the head right now."

"How so?" Cream asked.

"He gets ticked off really easily, and actually attacks," Amy said. "Knuckles got the first dose. He got it BAD."

"Wow," Cream said in an astounded voice, placing one hand over her mouth. "He sounds really cranky."

"He is," Amy said. Cream looked at Tails's door for a few seconds, then started toward it.

"Sounds like he's probably pretty lonely, too," she said at the same time. "I'll go talk to him for a while, so you and Mr. Big can catch up on things."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Amy said nervously. "He's not in control of it."

* * *

"Ah, that was good," Tails said to himself, setting aside his empty lunch tray. He had a little bit of red Jell-O dribbling down his muzzle, which he wiped off with one finger; this he licked clean. A couple of seconds later, he burped loudly. Since no one was present, the traditional "Excuse me" wasn't necessary. He was reaching for the remote to turn on his TV when the door opened, and in walked Cream. 

"Hi," she said.

"Uh, hi," Tails said. "Cream, isn't it?"

"That's right," Cream said. "And you're Tails, right?

"Right," Tails said. "Good. We haven't forgotten each other's names, even though it's been several years."

"Right," Cream said. "Anyway, I thought I'd come and talk to you, since you sounded lonely, from what Amy said."

"Thanks for the thought," Tails said. "Anything specific you want to talk about?"

"Not really," Cream said, scratching the back of her head. After a few moments of awkward silence, she said, "I heard you beat someone up in here."

"Yeah," Tails said. "I just lost it and put his face into the wall. Too bad I can't do that in school."

"Why?" Cream asked. "What's wrong with school?"

"People are specifically targeting me to pick on," Tails said. "I mean, literally, I'm the only one."

"That's awful!" Cream cried, putting her hands over her mouth.

"I know," Tails said. "They'll probably wind up killing me or putting me back in the hospital if I don't get something done about it."

"And I thought I had it bad," Cream said.

"How bad do you get it?" Tails asked.

"I get teased about my clothes," Cream said. "All my dresses are identical, except for being different colors."

"Ah, that's nothing," Tails said. "It could be worse. They could be knocking you out every week."

"You're right there," Cream said. "Somebody tried to put me in my locker. One of the teachers stopped her, though."

"You got lucky alright," Tails said. "I had blisters on my feet for days when that happened to me, and I didn't sleep very well that night, since I was stuck standing up."

"Oh my!" Cream gasped. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," Tails said. "It makes me sick just thinking about it. You have no idea how degrading it is to have to be let out of your locker at 4:00 in the morning by your teacher." Cream shook her head.

"It sounds like the worst thing that can happen to a person," she said quietly.

"Not the worst that can happen, but the worst that's happened to me," Tails said. This wasn't ENTIRELY true, since he wasn't willing to admit that he'd taken two swirlies in one breath. Suddenly, a huge yawn came out of nowhere.

"Tired?" Cream asked.

"A little," Tails said. "I could do with a nap. I'm not feeling so good all of a sudden."

"Okay," Cream said. "It was nice talking to you."

"Same here," Tails said. Cream pulled open the door and left the room quietly, in case anyone else was trying to sleep. Tails pulled the blanket up closer to his chin and lay his head down. "Damn, she's cute," he said to himself as he closed his eyes.

* * *

"How did that happen to your ear, Big?" Amy asked, pointing at Big's split ear. Big had taken up a spot on the floor against the wall, since he was too broad for the chairs. Amy was sitting in her chair once more. 

"Really big mean kitty attacked me, and I had to beat it up," Big said. "It cut my ear real bad and scared Froggy. I couldn't find him for hours."

"Where IS Froggy, anyway?" Amy asked. "I thought you went everywhere with him."

"He stayed home," Big said. "He got a girlfriend."

"Oh," Amy said. She thought to herself, _I'll bet it's more of an instinct issue than anything, too._

"How have you been?" Big asked.

"Not bad," Amy said. "I've got a lot going for me, when I stop and think about it. I own a restaurant, got a decent house, a nice car, and I finally netted Sonic. That's not in order of importance, either, in case that thought occurs to you."

"Sounds like you've been good," Big said. "So have I. I caught a fish bigger than me once! It was this long!" He held out both arms as far as he could, which was around seven feet.

"Wow" Amy said. "What kind of fish was it?"

"A big one!" Big said. "But a mean crocodile got it. So I couldn't have it for dinner."

"That's too bad," Amy said.

"Yeah," Big said. Then he started coughing violently.

"Big, are you alright!?" Amy cried out. Big nodded as his coughing lightened up.

"I think I got a cold," he said when he'd stopped coughing altogether. "It's been like that for days. I'm okay."

"That sounded a lot like a chest cold, there," Dr. Martin called over. "Try not to exert yourself too much. That kind of cold can get nasty."

"Okay," Big called back.

"So you've just been hanging out and fishing since I last saw you?" Amy asked.

"Uh huh," Big said.

"Cool," Amy said. "So, did you leave the jungle just to see me, or are you up to something else too?"

"Just wanted to see you and Cream," Big said.

"Well, that makes me feel special," Amy said. "And I mean that, it really does."

"This might sound weird, but why did you go to a detective?" Big asked.

_Wow,_ Amy thought. _Either I underestimated how smart he was, or he's gotten smarter in the last few years._ At this point, Cream came out into the waiting room and sat down beside Amy.

"Well, I didn't get to talk long, but he didn't seem too cranky," Cream said.

"Good," Amy said. "Anyway Big, to answer your question... Well, I hope you're comfortable, because it's kind of a long story."

* * *

"You're serious, aren't you?" Big asked gravely. Amy nodded solemnly. 

"I'm afraid so," she said. "Ask Sonic, or anyone else here, for that matter. Well, except the doctors, they don't know anything about it."

"Good thing I decided to stay for a while," Big said. "If they come back, I'll bash them up!" Amy smiled for a moment, but her face turned grave again.

"I know you're strong, Big," she said, "but these robots were armed with high-powered guns. I don't think there'd be much you'd be able to do unless you knew they were there before they did anything." It was Big's turn to smile this time.

"I always come prepared," he said. He reached back around his neck and removed the chain with the gold rings on it. He pulled one ring off of it, and it magically grew in his hand until it was bigger than Amy's bracelets.

"Whoa!" Amy exclaimed. "You still carry those things around?"

"The jungle's a dangerous place, Amy," Big said. He tossed the ring to Amy, then put his necklace back on. "They look pretty, too."

"I know, don't they?" Amy said. "I wonder how I could disguise this thing in case someone tried something. Don't want them knowing I'm protected."

"Maybe you could replace one of your bracelets," Cream suggested. "Those rings are identical to them, except for being bigger."

"And it'll shrink when I put it on my wrist," Amy said, finishing Cream's statement.

"Right," Cream said.

"Hey Big, where did you find those rings, anyway?" Amy asked, slipping the one Big had given her onto her wrist.

"Under a tree," Big said, fingering his necklace. "I got lucky I think. When I find these things and I don't pick them up, the next time I go by, they're gone."

"What I find funny is that they all seemed to just disappear whenever Eggman was beaten," Amy said.

"Weird, isn't it?" Cream said. "It's like they know when they're needed, and they appear and disappear accordingly."

"Yeah, it's crazy," Amy agreed, nodding. Just then, Dr. Martin stood up and stretched, then looked toward Big and Cream.

"I hate to interrupt," he called, "but visiting hours are over pretty soon. You two will have to leave before much longer."

"Aw, man," Cream said.

"I don't like it either," Dr. Martin said, walking over. "The place is a hospital, not a prison. But, rules are rules."

"Alright," Big said glumly, standing up. "I'll come back tomorrow, Amy, don't worry."

"Me too," Cream said.

"Could you guys bring a few things with you when you come back?" Amy asked.

"Sure," Big said. "What?"

"A chessboard might be nice," Amy said. "Rouge probably wouldn't mind if you brought her laptop, either. It's at her apartment, the key's on top of the door frame."

"Anything else?" Big asked.

"Do you think you could sneak a triple bacon cheeseburger in here?" Amy asked.

"I didn't hear a word," Dr. Martin said, walking off toward his room. "That's the least I can do."

"Wonder what he meant by that," Big said.

"Triple bacon cheeseburgers probably aren't allowed here," Amy said. "But I figure Tails could probably do with a little something extra. Well, to tell the truth, we all could, but Tails is the only one who's said anything along those lines."

"We can try," Cream promised.

"Thanks you guys," Amy said.

"We gotta go," Big said. "Bye bye."

"Bye Amy," Cream said.

"See you tomorrow," Amy said as Big and Cream headed for the door. Big pulled it open, and barely managed to fit through the frame. Cream pushed him through the rest of the way once the buzzer sounded to signal that the outer door was unlocked.

* * *

Whew, what a lot of dialogue. Well, I got a review asking when Cream would be brought back into the story, and this chapter was the answer to that one. It wasn't specifically because of that, but I figured it kinda was about time to start getting her back in there. Also, as you saw, Big's fat, lovable ass has dragged himself out of the jungle, and upon hearing Amy's story, he provided her with the best protection she's had since Espio(who actually died for a reason, in case some of you are thinking I just felt like killing him. I didn't want to, because he's cool, but, again, I had a reason.). Still, I kinda dislike those lame-ass rings for some reason. I even felt a little uncomfortable with incorporating them into the story. Ah well, amidst all the seriousness of it all, I suppose SOME kind of magic was probably due. Well, least Big's got a cool-looking necklace now. I was considering an ear piercing, but then I remembered those rings don't have gaps in them(of course, maybe a plothole would be kinda nice. Capcom and Nintendo get away with them with the Mega Man and Metroid series, so why can't I?). Well, I think that wraps up this post-chapter afterword. Lemme know what you all think, as usual. See you next chapter... well, sort of. 


	38. Changing of the Guard

**CHAPTER 38: Changing of the Guard**

He landed hard on the rocky ground near the top of the mountain, clutching a blue gem in his hands.

"Finally got that damned Emerald," Shadow said to himself, pushing himself into a sitting position and coughing from the dust he'd inhaled seconds before. "I don't know what the fuck those things in there are, but they're starting to freak me out. Ah well, that was pretty fun, except for that bigass frog. I hope the rest of the Emeralds are that fun."

**:::A few minutes before...:::**

"Here they come," Shadow said to himself. The freakish blobs of energy that he'd seen before rushed forth in a murderous frenzy. As they approached, about twenty of them, blue ones, broke off and attacked from the side. None of the blobs in the main body managed to land a hit as he jumped and dodged around, but Shadow found himself unable to damage any of them using his Homing Attack as he tried to counterattack them. The rest of the blobs, the blue ones, attacked from Shadow's right side. He dove forward and rolled a bit, then looked back to see them coming at him once more. He jumped into the air, then rolled into a ball and hurled himself at the one in the lead, once more trying his Homing Attack. He hit the blob head-on and was propelled upward, and used this momentum to clear the other blobs as they tried to tackle him. He landed and turned around, and noticed something odd: the one he'd hit had turned to stone and landed directlybelow where it had been when it was hit.

_The hell?_ Shadow thought. He skated right for it and stopped beside it, ducking under a few that had broken away from the main body to attack him. He suddenly had an idea. He picked up the surprisingly light blob and hurled it at the blue ones, which were coming back. As soon as the solid blob got close to the attacking ones, they all scattered around it, allowing it to hit the ground safely.

"Shit," Shadow said. He dove aside as all the blue blobs leapt at him, and they all piled up right there. None of them was able to escape this pileup, as they were all stuck together. Shadow darted to the solid blob again, picked it up, and hurled it at the pile again. The blobs all scattered as before, free as birds. Slowly, it dawned on Shadow that the blue ones were the only ones attacking him. The main body of blobs was keeping its distance. Also, he noticed, as many times as they changed colors, they didn't turn blue.

_These things must be polar or something,_ Shadow thought. "Let's play dodgeball, you bastards!" He skated right into the mass of blue blobs, then jumped into the air. The blobs started jumping at him as well, but he was ready for them. He set himself into an extremely fast spin, so fast that the friction between his body and the air molecules around him kept him aloft and moving in a circle. None of the blobs could catch him, he was moving so fast. Soon, all that could be seen of him was a black blur, and the air was moving in much the same manner as in a tornado. Shadow's appropriately-named Black Tornado picked up the blobs and hurled them fifty feet in the air. As each one hit the ground, it produced an impact similar to that of the Homing Attack. The entire section of blue blobs was quickly reduced to extremely light balls of a substance similar to stone. Shadow picked one up and tossed it up and down in one hand a few times, grinning. He suddenly clutched it in both hands and skated toward a blob in front of him. It tried to retreat, but Shadow was too fast for it. He hurled the blob in his hands at the retreating one, and nailed it. Instantly, both blobs exploded, leaving behind only a wisp of smoke the same color that each blob had been.

"Lather, rinse, repeat," Shadow said. And so he did. Once he was out of balls, the other blobs began to attack. Several red ones broke off this time, and he singled them out for attack, just as he'd done to the blue ones. Repeating this process until all the blobs were gone, he soon found himself facing the Emerald. It was flying around the circular area where Shadow had just finished cleaning up, turning at random, and just being asunpredictable as was possible. One last blue blob materialized at this point, and Shadow nailed it with his Homing Attack to solidify it. He figured out what to do in a big hurry: since the Emerald was too fast for him to catch normally, he'd have to slow it down. Upon hurling the blob at it, he realized that the Emerald was polar as well. That, or it purposely dodged the thrown blob, because the projectile hadn't changed course at all. Shadow retrieved the blob, then sat on it and thought for a full minute. He looked up when a sound caught his attention.

"Oh shit," he said as a massive frog made of stone hopped toward him, the Emerald still circling the arena. It croaked loudly, then, as Shadow grabbed the blob he was sitting on, the frog's tongue shot out, wrapped around his body, and began to drag him in. As he struggled to get free, he looked toward the frog's mouth and saw a red light inside. Deciding at this point that a huge gamble may have been necessary, he stopped struggling and let the frog swallow him. As he entered its mouth, he pushed the blob into the red light. As had been the case with every single blob he'd hit with a solid one, the light exploded, sending Shadow flying, and destroying the frog. Its stone heart landed near Shadow. It was just a pulsing gray mass, uglier somehowthan anything Shadow could remember seeing. Still, he picked it up, thinking that if it wasn't polar, he could nail the Emerald with it and knock it down. As with the blobs, the stone heart was very light. Shadow held it for a few moments, watching the Emerald. Closing his eyes, he threw it in the gem's direction and waited. He heard an explosion, and looked. The heart was gone, and the Emerald lay on its side on the ground. Shadow rushed to it and dove on it. The second he had it, the entire arena vanished and he was back on the mountain.

**:::Back to the present...:::**

"Talk about a unique experience," Shadow said to himself, standing up. "I'll have to see if I can't get one of the big game companies to make a game of it. Then I'll have them give me a share of the profits, since I gave them the idea. Or I can sue them and say they stole the idea from me." He laughed out loud, then jumped over the edge. He hit the slope and started skating as fast as he could, dodging rocks and small plants along the way. Once he reached the bottom, he skidded to a stop and looked back. A trail of dust was still floating in the air where he'd been. With another laugh, he skated off toward his house.

* * *

It was nearly daylight when Shadow finally reached his house. He pulled his key out of his gloveand unlocked the door, then went inside. The first thing he did was to put the Emerald into the case, then he threw himself onto his bed.

"Sometimes I can't help but wonder if this world or the next can get more fucked up," he said to himself. Without bothering to remove his shoes or to even cover up, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. As helay there in the middle of the twilight state that comes just before sleep, he was jerked out of his doze by a knock on the door. He called out, "God damn it, I've already told you fools, when I want to worry about Jehovah, I'll come to you!"

"I'll tell that to the Jehovah's Witnesses next time I see them," the voice outside called out. "Right now I just want to come inside and talk to you!"

"Who is it?" Shadow called, sitting up.

"It's Dave!" the voice called. "You remember me, right?"

"Yeah," Shadow called. "The door's open." The knob turned, the door swung open, and Dave stepped in, wearing the same tuxedo that he'd been wearing when he'd first met Shadow.

"Well well well," Dave said. "Guess I caught you asleep, huh?"

"Not quite asleep, but close enough," Shadow said, yawning widely. "Care to tell me what you're doing here so early in the morning?"

"I came to pick up the Emeralds you've found so far," Dave said, scratching his forehead. "We figured it'd be best to pick them up early, in case anyone sees."

"You're really serious about this secrecy business," Shadow said. "Almost feels like I'm doing something illegal."

"You're not," Dave assured him. "We just want to protect ourselves. You know the story."

"Yeah," Shadow said. "Where's Salia? Is she not on watch right now?"

"Well, we figured it'd be easier for me to pass myself off as a salesman," Dave said. "Just in case. Personally, I think the whole thing's silly, but I've got to do what I'm told, just like the rest of us. Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Just curious, since she's the only one I've had contact with since we first met," Shadow said.

"I see," Dave said, giving Shadow a look that said he didn't think Shadow was being entirely honest.

"What's with the look?" Shadow asked.

"Nothing," Dave said. "I was trying to remember what I was fixing to say. I hate that. I'm about to say something, then I forget what it is... You know how it goes, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Shadow said. "I got the Emeralds in the case over by my bed." He motioned to the box containing the Emeralds. "Getting the second one was just crazy."

"Why?" Dave asked. "Care to tell me?"

"Yeah, this is just crazy," Shadow said. "Wait till you hear it."

* * *

"You're right, that IS crazy," Dave said. "How did you know what to do?"

"Just a hunch," Shadow said. "A lucky guess. Real lucky, too. I'm not sure what would happen if those things kicked my ass while I was dealing with them. Would I die, be ejected from the Chaos World, or what? If I get ejected, will I still be busted up, or will I just magically be alright?"

"Don't try to find out," Dave advised. "Salia told me about that weird burn you had after the first encounter, and how you said it was gone when you woke up. That's pretty strange. If you were killed by those things, I doubt you'd wake up eight hours later and not be scratched."

"Still, at least that little game of dodgeball was fun," Shadow said, chuckling.

"It sounds like it," Dave agreed. He ran his hand over the black quills on his head and looked at his watch.

"What time you got?" Shadow asked.

"Nearly 6:00," Dave said, standing up and picking up the case containing the Emeralds. "Can't believe I've already been here a half hour. Well, I need to go. I'll have the case brought back later on, probably while you're out doing whatever."

"I wish you wouldn't just let yourself into my house at all hours of the day," Shadow said in a less pleasant tone than usual.

"I'll leave it out back," Dave promised. "Just don't forget about it, alright?"

"Okay," Shadow said. "I'll see you later, then."

"Later," Dave said. He turned around and opened the door with one hand, then stepped outside and pulled the door shut. Shadow sat on his bed for a minute, not sure whether to go to sleep or just get some coffee and try not to pass out in the middle of the city.

"Something doesn't meet the eye," he said. He leaned over the side of the bed and pulled out a sheet of paper from underneath. Salia's face stared at him from the picture on the Missing Person poster. "You never answered me, Dave. You never said WHERE she is. It's not just a menial job, is it?"

* * *

Ooh, thrills and chills, huh? Sorry about the shortness, but seriously, there's only so much time one can spend stretching out a conversation so that you can't fit the whole thing onscreen at one time... Anywho, instead of a peaceful morning sleeping in(something we ALL need from time to time), Shadow gets a house call from Dave, the black hedgehog who works alongside Salia. After a little time spent chit-chatting(and I do mean a little), Shadow tells his little story about his experience with the second Emerald. Afterward, Dave leaves with the two Emeralds in tow, and Shadow starts suspecting more than ever that someone's bullshitting him. Oh, Shadow, if only you knew..............Tell me I didn't just say that. Oh, a little early warning: if you're not the type of person who likes angst, you may not like the next chapter as much. Also, just so you know, it was harder than you might think to try to think of some little game for Shadow to be forced to play for the Emerald. And with all that said, review away. 


	39. Good and Bad

**CHAPTER 39: Good and Bad**

"Okay, now that I wasn't expecting," Sonic said as he looked down. He'd just woke up, and had tried to roll over, only to find that someone was in his way. When he looked, he saw that Amy had apparently gotten lonely in her room the night before and crept into bed beside him. Evidently she was sleeping lightly, because she opened her eyes just a second after Sonic had registered his surprise.

"Morning," she said sleepily. "Been awake long?"

"No," Sonic said. "Just woke up. I wasn't expecting this arrangement, either."

"Well, it was cold last night," Amy said. "Those blankets aren't very thick, either."

"You didn't have to explain anything," Sonic said. "I just said I hadn't been expecting it."

"Okay," Amy said. She sat up in the bed and yawned widely. Sonic sat up after she did, and she turned her head around and kissed him on the cheek before swinging her legs over the right side of the bed and standing up.

"Is the floor cold?" Sonic asked.

"Not really," Amy said. Sonic turned and put his feet on the floor, then gritted his teeth.

"Cold enough for me," he said.

"This coming from a guy who can run on the surface of cold water?" Amy asked jokingly.

"You know, I just thought of something about that," Sonic said thoughtfully. "I'm not the first one to do that. There was this one guy a REALLYlong time ago..."

"You saying you're Jesus?" Amy asked. "Well, some people probably look at you like you are."

"Ah, never mind," Sonic said with a shrug. "I'm not. I'm just an average guy who can beat out the best Olympic sprinter in a footrace without my hands starting to shake."

"Good," Amy said. "Otherwise, I'd never get to spend any time with you, with people following you around everywhere asking if they can lick your shoes or whatever."

"That may be taking it a bit too far," Sonic said. He stood up and stretched, then reached his hands up and popped his neck in both directions.

"I got first dibs on the bathroom," Amy exclaimed, running into the bathroom.

"Hey!" Sonic exclaimed. He tried to get there first, but Amy managed to shut the door before he got to it.

"Now Sonic, it's ladies first!" she called through the door, giggling.

"Fine," Sonic said in mock anger. He opened his door and headed into Amy's room, where he occupied her bathroom and proceeded to drain his lizard. After he was finished, he flushed the toilet and headed back into the hall, where he almost stepped on Tails's foot.

"What are you doing up this early?" Tails asked.

"Good morning to you too," Sonic said. "I just woke up. I found out Amy got lonely last night, so she came to visit. So, why are YOU awake? I'd expect you to still be asleep."

"It's only 6:00," Tails said, yawning. "I have to wake up at this hour all the time, so it's not too unusual for me."

"How'd you know what time it is?" Sonic asked, scratching his head.

"They let me keep my watch," Tails said, holding up his right arm to show off his digital watch.

"Oh," Sonic said. "Man, I didn't realize it was so early. I'm wide awake already."

"Sucks, don't it?" Tails said. "Any ideas as to what we can do until everyone wakes up?"

"Nope." Sonic said. "I think Dr. Martin took his cards back into his room with him, and nothing good comes on TV at this hour."

"Crap," Tails said. At this point, Knuckles's door opened, and he stepped out, followed by Rouge.

"Is this women's invasion day or something?" Sonic asked.

"Amy did the same thing to you?" Knuckles asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Sonic said.

"You're both talking about it like it's a bad thing," Rouge said. "Come on, give us a break. It just means we don't mind getting a little cozy with you. Well, that, and it's warmer with two people as opposed to one." Amy stepped out of Sonic's room at this point.

"Morning, everyone," she said. "Anyone know what time it is?"

"Just a little after 6:00," Tails said.

"What're you doing up?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm used to it," Tails said. "School, you know."

"Ah, okay," Knuckles said.

"What are YOU two doing up?" Tails asked.

"Heard you and Sonic talking, and figured it was late enough in the morning to get up," Rouge said. "We don't have a clock or anything, so we didn't know." All of them turned and looked toward the waiting room as the buzzer sounded. A few seconds later, Dr. Lang stepped in, holding his clipboard.

"Good morning," he said pleasantly. "I didn't realize you were all such early risers."

"I don't know about them, but I'm usually not," Knuckles said. "Are you the only doctor who works the quarantine section?"

"Pretty much, yes," Dr. Lang said.

"So, what are you doing here so early?" Amy asked.

"I came on the off-chance that you were all awake to deliver some good news," Dr. Lang said.

"You're gonna tell us we're having a big breakfast, what?" Tails said. Everyone laughed.

"Not quite," Dr. Lang said. He looked down at his clipboard for a second. "Alright, Sonic, Rouge and Amy are all in perfect health, so you're good to go. Knuckles, you have some weird kind of starch or something in your blood. We're not sure what it is, but we've determined that it's not anything dangerous, so you're good to go as well."

"It's probably some of the spores from those mushrooms I like," Knuckles said. "They're really good when cooked over a nice-size fire."

"Um, okay," Dr. Lang said. "As for Tails... it's rather obvious that he's NOT fine, and the debate over what to do about him was long and fierce. The virus is completely new, and what's worse, the government heard about it. They fully fund this hospital, so it was a matter of time. So, naturally, they want to study it: its short-term effects, life-long effects, and the like."

"Whoa, WHAT?" Tails yelled. "What are you saying, I'm gonna be stuck in a glass jar for the rest of my life?"

"Not a chance in Hell I'll let that happen!" Sonic yelled.

"Not a chance you'll have to," Dr. Lang said, a grin spreading across his face. "It actually occurred to someone in the lab that the mice would've provided an adequate substitute, as well as faster results."

"Thank God," Tails said, sighing at great length. "So, what about me, then? Am I gonna be stuck here even longer?"

"No," Dr. Lang said. "You'll be discharged with your friends, sometime in the next hour or so."

"What about his... mental state?" Sonic asked.

"Not much we can do about it," Dr. Lang said. "If it's going to be a lasting thing, he'll be here a very long time. No, we decided to discharge him and see what happens. Of course, if he bites someone or something, the government will change its mind, and probably put him in one of those 'glass jars'."

"Good," Tails said. "I'd probably die of boredom, or go insane from it and kill myself."

"That's a really pessimistic way of looking at it," Dr. Lang said. "But, I can understand how one would feel that way."

"I'm going to need some sort of note for school or something, too," Tails said.

"Um, that could get a little complicated," Dr. Lang said. "Firstly, it may create a panic. Secondly, it's really an outrageous story, and not many poeple would be likely to believe it."

"And thirdly, if you don't, I'm going to be in a heap of trouble as far as my grades go," Tails said. "A guardian's note won't cut it if you've missed more than a certain number of days. It has to be a doctor's note." Dr. Lang sighed.

"Alright," he said. "I'll write you something out, and we'll see if they believe it or not. If not, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Have Dr. Martin sign it too," Tails suggested. "Maybe they'll be more willing to believe it if there's two signatures."

"Good thinking," Amy commented. "What are the odds of TWO doctors flipping their lids?"

"Thanks, I think," Dr. Lang said dully. "Anyway, I have some things to take care of, so if I were you, I'd be getting ready to leave. The clothes you were wearing when you were admitted will be returned shortly. They were placed in storage for you, so they're in the same state they were in at the time. If they stunk before, they probably still will."

"Great," Rouge said. "If anyone went through my pockets, though, there's gonna be another person admitted before I leave."

"We have very strict rules against that," Dr. Lang assured her. "Also, there's something the hospital director wanted me to ask Tails."

"As long as it's not anything personal, and that you're not gonna ask me to stay longer," Tails said.

"It's neither of the above," Dr. Lang said. "You're the first known person to be infected by this new virus, which makes you the one who discovered it."

"And?" Tails asked.

"Well, the person who discovers a new organism, parasite, virus, or anything of that sort gets naming rights to their discovery," Dr. Lang said. "I'm sure you've heard that before."

"Yeah, I think I heard it somewhere," Tails said. "So what you're saying is, you want me to name it before I leave?"

"Precisely," Dr. Lang said. "You can give it a scientific name, or just give it a conventional one and let some government scientist derive a scientific one from it. It's up to you."

"Uh, give me a minute to think about it," Tails said. "I kinda wasn't expecting this, so I didn't exactly lose sleep trying to think of a decent name."

"Anyone gonna need a ride?" Amy asked.

* * *

"Thank God," Tails said, pushing open the front door of the hospital. In his left hand was an envelope, which contained the letter Dr. Lang had written explaining where Tails had been. "I thought we'd never get out of there." Sonic walked out behind him, stretching; Amy was right beside him; Rouge right behind her; and Knuckles still inside fighting with his shoelaces(they'd somehow been tied into a knot). 

"What a fitting name you picked," Sonic said. "The Miles Madness."

"Hey, it worked," Tails said. "That's what matters, is that the name works."

"So, where's everyone going?" Amy asked, digging through her purse for her car keys.

"I need to go pick up my car, then I'm headed home," Rouge said.

"I'm going for a little run," Sonic said. "See you guys later." He turned and ran off down the road, leaving behind a dust trail that was quickly blown away by the wind.

"I'm headed for home," Tails said. "Unless you need me to come in today."

"Nah, don't worry about that," Amy said.

"I'll go and ask Knuckles where he's going," Rouge said. She turned and walked back inside.

"Where did you park?" Tails asked.

"The other end of the parking lot," Amy said. "We were really worried about you, you know. I swear, you should've seen Sonic's face. I think he would've killed someone if he thought it would've helped you."

"I'm kind of at a loss for what to say about that," Tails said in a slightly quieter tone of voice.

"All I can really say is, you're lucky to have such a good friend," Amy said. "Not many people do, from what I've heard."

"Guess I had to have some kind of bad luck to balance it out," Tails said. "I'm not looking forward to school."

"It'll get better," Amy said. "I'm sure of it."

"Try saying that after you've been through swirlies, beatings, locker-stuffings, hangings, and that sort of crap," Tails said.

"You've reported all this, right?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Tails said, kicking at a rock on the ground. It flew across the road and hit the bumper of a parked car. "But it doesn't matter to them. The object of their dumb game is to not get caught. It just makes it more thrilling for them if the risk is greater."

"What are we discussing here?" Rouge asked, stepping back outside.

"Nothing," Tails said. "What did Knuckles say?"

"He said he's going back to his island," Rouge said. "But he said he's gonna walk, since he hasn't gotten any exercise since we checked ourselves in. He's gonna grab some breakfast from the cafeteria, first, though."

"Alright," Amy said, finally pulling her car keys out of her purse. "I guess we're all kind of eager for a little privacy since we've been stuck together for that long, huh?"

"Yeah," Rouge said. "That's kind of our fault, though. If we wanted privacy we probably could've just closed our doors."

"I could do with a little social interaction, personally," Tails said. "I got more privacy than I knew what to do with. I mean, I can understand that you my have been afraid that I might get ticked off and bite you or something, but give me a break. I didn't bite Knuckles, did I?"

"No," Rouge said. "You just knocked him out." Tails chuckled a little from that.

"You're not mad at me for that, are you Rouge?" he asked.

"Nah," Rouge said casually. "That wasn't your fault. I think we've all kind of forgiven you for that one, since we figured out what brought it about."

"Good," Tails said.

"But I'll admit, I'm curious to know exactly what you did to him," Rouge said.

"I just hit him with my tails twice," Tails said. "The first time I knocked him out of bed, then the second time I kinda gave him a left hook in the jaw. That set him into a spin and knocked him off his feet and into the wall. He hit face-first, and the rest is history."

"Wow," Amy remarked. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said those things could hurt."

"Like I said, I can support the weight of three people pretty easily with them," Tails said proudly. "I could probably hold up more than three if I tried, but it obviously wouldn't be as easy to do."

"Maybe if those jerks at school start screwing with you again, you can rearrange their faces with your tails," Amy suggested.

"I'd get suspended," Tails said, shaking his head. "That wouldn't help me any. Aside from that, I'd be stuck sitting at the police station for who knows how long until someone picked me up."

"The police station?" Rouge asked.

"When there's a fight at my school, the offenders are taken to the police station until a parent or guardian picks them up," Tails explained. "I'm not sure what all happens at the police station, but I'm sure there's more than just sitting involved. Anyway, let's get going. We've just been standing here for nearly five minutes."

"Sheesh, that long?" Amy asked. She stepped off the sidewalk toward the other end of the parking lot, followed by Rouge and Tails but they didn't get far before they heard Amy's name.

"Amy!" Big called, running toward them.

"Wow, he's an early riser too?" Rouge asked.

"Guess so," Tails said. "It's not exactly an uncommon thing, really." A couple of seconds later, Big skidded to a stop in front of Amy, Tails and Rouge.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning, Big," Amy said. "Came by to see us a little early, did you?"

"Well, that IS why I'm in town," Big said. "Did they say you could leave?"

"Yeah," Amy said.

"Great!" Big exclaimed.

"They just had to make sure we weren't sick," Amy said. "Obviously, we weren't. Well, except Tails, but they let him leave anyway."

"What was it, flu?" Big asked.

"Uh, not exactly," Tails said. "It was kind of a new strain."

"Oh," Big said.

"Hey Big, where's Cream?" Amy asked. "I thought she said she'd be coming back with you."

"She told me to go ahead, and she'd catch up in a few minutes," Big said. "I think I woke her up. I know her dad wasn't very happy."

"That's her uncle, Big" Amy said gravely. "I thinkher dad drowned when she was two."

"Oh," Big said once again.

"She's living with her uncle?" Rouge asked. "Why?"

"Well-" Amy began, but she was cut off when they heard Cream's voice call out to them.

"Hello!" the short yet cute rabbit called out, running toward them and waving with her right arm. She had a plastic bag with her as well, which she was holding in her left hand. What struck Amy as odd, though, was that Cream was wearing a white tank top and shorts, instead of one of the dresses she was always wearing. Rouge, Tails and Big overlooked this, as they didn't see Cream nearly as often as Amy did, and didn't realize that she never wore anything except one of her dresses.

"Hi, Cream!" Amy called as Cream ran toward them. In ten seconds, Cream had slowed to a stop just a few feet from her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said, panting.

"Late?" Tails repeated. "Shoot, you're early. It's not even 7:30."

"I meant for not being here until a few minutes after Mr. Big," Cream said with a small laugh. "My uncle told me not to invite people home before 10:00 without his permission, and then I had to warm up something to eat before I left."

"Oh," Tails said.

"What's with the sudden change of attire, Cream?" Amy asked. "You never wear anything but a dress."

"While Mr. Big and I were visiting yesterday, my aunt went shopping for new clothes for me," Cream explained. "She said it was time I started wearing something different, for the sake of not looking like the family's too poor to afford new clothes. I didn't agree, but I have to do as I'm told."

"Oh," Amy said. "And they're just now deciding this, why?"

"I don't know," Cream said. "I just know I'd prefer if they had paid it no attention."

"I can imagine," Amy said. Before she could say anything else, a thunderclap from above jerked the group from its conversation.

"We should find your car and get in it before it starts raining," Rouge said.

"Yeah," Amy said, starting once more in the direction of the end of the parking lot. "Even if it won't start up, better to be inside it than out here."

"I agree, more than you know," Cream said, looking upward worriedly and following Amy.

"Uh, isn't he too... stout?" Tails asked, motioning to Big as they walked.

"I have an umbrella," Big said. "I'll be okay."

"There's the car," Amy said, pointing to her red convertible. "Good thing I left the top up."

"Yeah," Rouge said. Cream didn't say anything, but she picked up her pace a little bit, and ran to the car.

"Are the doors unlocked?" she called to Amy.

"No," Amy called back. "Why?"

"I'm a little afraid of storms," Cream confessed. She waited somewhat anxiously for Amy to unlock the driver-side door, then climb in and unlock the other door. As soon as the passenger-side door was open, Cream reached inside, pushed the passenger seat forward, and climbed into the back seat. Amy pulled a lever on her seat and slid it forward, and Tails climbed in behind her, beside Cream. Rouge took the front passenger seat.

"I know the car's gonna stall once it starts raining," Tails said, "but we should see how far we can get before it does. I mean, whatever it is that screws up when it gets wet probably won't get wet the second a raindrop touches the hood of the car."

"Yeah, you're right," Amy said, turning the key in the ignition. The car took a few seconds, but finally started. Amy rolled down her window as Big stepped up beside the car.

"I guess I'll have to walk, huh?" Big asked.

"Sorry Big, but yeah," Amy said. "Do you know where my house is?"

"No," Big said. "But I can find it if you're in the phone book."

"I am," Amy said. "Sorry to do this to you and all, but if something under the hood gets wet, the car won't start, and we'll be stuck here."

"Alright," Big said. "Better get going then."

"Okay, see you later," Amy said. She rolled her window back up, then put the car into gear and backed out of the parking space.

"I hate to just leave him like that," Rouge said. "Can't he take a cab or a bus or something?" Amy shook her head.

"No," she said. "He wouldn't fit. Poor guy."

"He probably gets it all the time," Cream said quietly. "As much as I hate to say it."

"Yeah," Rouge said.

"Hey Cream, what's in the bag?" Amy asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Cream exclaimed. She handed the bag to Tails, then said to him, "Amy told me you had said you wanted a triple bacon cheeseburger, so I took a hamburger out of the refrigerator for you this morning, then I put some cheese and bacon on it and microwaved it. It's not a triple cheeseburger, but it's about the same size."

"Thank you," Tails said. "I didn't know you just kept a plate of hamburgers in the fridge."

"We don't, usually," Cream said. "My uncle decided to barbecue last night and we had some left over."

"Oh," Tails said. He pulled the hamburger out of the bag, and found it wrapped in plastic as though by a professional. He unwrapped it, and the scent of the cooked meat invaded his nostrils, causing his mouth to water like it had never watered before. Cream noticed his eyes go wide and that he was drooling in les than two seconds, and giggled.

"If nothing else, I can say for Uncle Jack that he really knows how to barbecue," she said through her giggles.

"Anyone want a bite of this before I devour it?" Tails asked.

"No thanks," Amy said.

"Nah, you go ahead," Rouge said.

"Cream?" Tails asked, offering her a bite.

"No thank you," she said. "I already ate."

"Alright," Tails said. "You guys had your chance." He opened his mouth and took a huge bite of the burger. While it wasn't hot and juicy, there was still something about it that made it unlike any other burger Tails had ever tasted. He hardly chewed the first bite, then bit nearly half the burger off in the next. Cream's eye went wide.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "You must be hungry!" Tails shook his head, then pointed to the burger and gave a thumbs-up, signifying that it was just a damn good burger.

"Uh oh," Amy said. "It's starting to come down already." The windshield was covered in raindrops, but not enough to force her to turn on the windshield wipers; nevertheless, she did anyway. She then turned to Rouge and asked, "Where's the garage you left your car at, Rouge?"

"Just a couple of blocks from my apartment," Rouge replied. "If you can get us there before this thing stalls, I'll take over."

"Sounds like a plan," Amy said. A few seconds later, she groaned as she saw an accident up ahead. Cream was watching as well, and sighed at length.

"Looks like we're stuck," she said. "Unless everyone manages to ignore their curiousity." This was not to be, as traffic had slowed to a stop just so everyone could gawk at a car that had hit a telephone pole. Five minutes later, they were finally past the scene, but by then the rain had picked up, and was coming down so hard that visibility was drastically reduced.

"Looks like we're stranded," Amy said as she felt her power steering go out. She had to fight the car over to the right shoulder, but she made it. Once she'd gotten the car stopped, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the steering wheel.

"What perfect luck," Rouge muttered. "Why can people never be considerate enough to have an accident in the middle of nowhere?"

"Have you got any tools in the trunk, Amy?" Tails asked.

"No," Amy said. "I never figured I'd need them, since I could fit my knowledge of a car's anatomy on the head of a pin."

"Crap," Tails said. "Well, at least the top's not down."

"Yeah," Rouge agreed. "Well, if we've gotta be stuck, might as well make the most of it." She removed her seat belt and reached down to the right side of her seat, then turned a large, circle-shaped, flat object. The back of the seat leaned backward as she turned it, until it was back by about forty-five degrees. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

"Nice thinking," Amy said. "Too bad I can't do the same. I'm wide awake, so I'd never be able to get to sleep. At least, not for several hours." Rouge grinned, but didn't move otherwise.

"It's really coming down hard," Cream said, looking out Amy's window. "I hope Mr. Big will be okay."

"He's a big boy," Amy said. "He can handle himself. Besides, he's got his umbrella."

"Sonic and Knuckles don't," Tails said. "I'm kind of concerned about them."

"They're both better off than us, I think," Amy said.

"Can you call for a tow truck on your cell phone?" Cream asked. Amy pulled her phone out of her purse, than shook her head.

"No signal," she said. "That's the problem with cell phones. They only work when you don't need them."

"This sucks," Tails said, leaning his head on his right shoulder. Several moments passed in silence, save for the sound of the rain, before anyone said anything else.

"So, Cream, where are Cheese and Chocola?" Amy asked.

"They wore themselves out playing last night, so I let them sleep," Cream replied, resting her chin on the palm of her left hand. "Lucky I did, otherwise we'd really be squeezed in here."

"Yeah," Amy said. "They're getting pretty big."

"Uncle Jack says that they eat too much," Cream said. "He just doesn't know that much about raising Chao. I make sure they eat just the right amount."

"Why do you live with your uncle, anyway?" Tails asked. In the front seat, Amy's eyes went wide, and Rouge frowned without moving. Cream hung her head before answering. Tails knew he'd asked the wrong thing right then and there. Before he could say "Never mind" and tell Cream not to answer, she started her sad story...

**:Just a short 2 years ago...:**

"Oh boy," Vanilla said, looking at the TV. "This is going to be a bad one. I just hope it doesn't actually hit." She put the remote down on the table beside her chair and picked up her glass of tea to take a drink. On the TV was The Weather Channel, and a red bar was displayed across the bottom of the screen. It was labeled "Tornado Warning".

"What's happening, Mom?" Cream asked, walking into the room sleepily. It was nearly 11:00 at night, and the weather outside could not have been worse. Rain was falling in sheets, lightning preceded thunder by less than one second, and it came quite often. The wind was howling loudly, and limbs were blowing off of trees.

"Nothing, sweetie," Vanilla said reassuringly, picking up the remote and muting the TV. "It's just a little bad weather. Go back to bed."

"Why did you mute the TV?" Cream asked.

"So you can hear me better," Vanilla said. She stood up and walked over to Cream. "Come on now, let's go back to bed." At this moment, Cheese and Chocola flew out of Cream's room and started fluttering around in an alarmed manner. They sensed trouble, and both Cream and her mother realized it.

"It's not just bad weather, is it?" Cream asked.

"It's bad weather, but I don't think 'just' is the right word for it," Vanilla said. "I didn't tell you this because I didn't want to worry you, but we're under a tornado warning." No sooner than she said that did the emergency weather sirens outside begin blaring, alerting all of Station Square to the danger outside. Also, the wind began howling even louder than before, and the sound of tree limbs snapping ceased as it was replaced with that of a tree being uprooted.

"Mom, I'm scared!" Cream cried, pressing against Vanilla and hugging her close. Cheese and Chocola weren't as concerned with hugging someone as they were with getting into the living room closet.

"It's okay, sweetie," Vanilla called, trying to sound reassuring. But this is hard to do when one has to yell to be heard over the wind, and even more so when the person being addressed is pressed up against the person speaking. Suddenly, two windows in the kitchen exploded inward from the force of the wind, and various items, mostly paper and the like, began blowing around in the kitchen. Vanilla reached down and grabbed Cream's hand, then pulled her toward the closet in which Cheese and Chocola had sought refuge.

_It's not okay!_ Cream thought. _We're all going to be blown away!_ She finally moved her feet and ran into the closet, then sat down and hugged her two Chao close. Vanilla didn't sit down inside the closet immediately; rather, she reached up onto the shelf above and pulled down a comforter and several pillows. These she placed down beside Cream, then she climbed into the closet herself, pulled the door shut, and then threw her arm around Cream, who had started to cry.

"It's okay now," she said. "Don't worry."

"What if it comes here?" Cream asked through her tears. Vanilla didn't answer for lack of something soothing to say that Cream was likely to believe.

"CHAO!" Chocola cried out as the whole house gave a violent shudder. Over the course of the next few seconds, more windows exploded around the house, indicating that the wind had gotten even stronger. For the next two minutes, wind was all that the occupants of the closet heard. Finally, Vanilla heard the sound that she feared most: an endless roar outside, growing louder every second.

_Oh no!_ she thought. _Please God, save us all!_ She still had her presence of mind, despite her extreme fear, which was on the border of panic. The only thing keeping her from crossing that border was Cream, and the thought that nothing must happen to her no matter what the cost. Cream, in the meantime, had figured out what the pillows were for. She had picked one up and was using it to cover her head, which she had pressed against those of her Chao, who were sitting in her lap, pressed against her. Vanilla grabbed the comforter and quickly unfolded it, then threw it over herself and Cream. She didn't see how any flying glass would get into the closet, but she had to be sure. Then she pulled Cream as close as possible and threw more pillows over her. Outside, the uprooted tree gave a loud crack, which rang out almost as loudly as the roar of the twister that was breaking it apart. The house was shaking nonstop by this point, and the sounds of everything, inside and out, blowing around had become almost deafening. It became clear to Vanilla at that point that the twister was more powerful than the TV had indicated, and that the house was not likely to hold up to its immense strength.

"Mom, look!" Cream cried, pointing to the crack under the closet door. Aside from particles of dust, sand, and the like, water was blowing in under the door. This meant that either part of the roof had blown off and the twister hadn't hit directly, or it was a waterspout. This was not an entirely ludicrous idea, despite the fact that the house was, of course, built on land.

"This doesn't matter right now, but maybe it formed over the lake!" Vanilla called out. "Don't worry, it won't get high enough to drown in!" Over the course of the next minute or so, no one said anything else. They just huddled together and hoped for the best. At one point, the house gave such a violent shakethat Cream and Vanilla just knew it was fixing to be torn apart. To their great surprise and relief, it wasn't. However, the walls of the closet had cracked, and bits had been torn away so that very small debris was blown in. Within another minute, the sound of the twister had lessened considerably, and the wind wasn't as violent.

"I think it's leaving," Cream said in a quiet voice. Even though the wind was still howling somewhat, Vanilla heard her.

"I think so too," she said. "Everything's going to be okay now." Over the course of five more minutes, the sounds outside gradually became less and less, until thunder and rain were all that was to be heard.

"It's gone," Cream said. "Le'ts get out of here." Vanilla nodded and reached for the doorknob, but when the turned it and pushed, the door wouldn't budge. She had to stand up and put all of her strength into pushing before the door would move. However, a more-than-slight problem arose: when the door moved, the remains of the roof above began to creak threateningly.

_Once I open this door, the whole thing's going to go,_ Vanilla thought. _I'll have to make sure Cream gets out before then._

"What's wrong, Mom?" Cream asked nervously.

"Cream, sweetie, I want you to listen to me very, very carefully," Vanilla said. "As soon as this door is open wide enough for you to squeeze through, I want you to get out of the closet. I mean it. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Mom, but-" Cream began.

"No buts," Vanilla said. "As soon as you can fit through, I want you out of here." At this point, Cream began to understand what her mother was saying, and tears began to flow once more. She didn't try to argue, though. Vanilla began to push on the door again, causing more unpleasant noise from above. Cheese and Chocola managed to squeeze themselves through the door at this point, so Cream stood up.

"I think I can get through now," she said, trying not to cry. Vanilla stepped back from the door, and Cream pressed her head against the crack between the door and its unstable frame. She managed to get her head through, but she needed just a little more room to make it the rest of the way through. Looking around, Cream was amazed to see that the closet was the only part of the living room left.

"Are you stuck?" Vanilla asked. Cream nodded, and her mother pushed against the door a bit more. It slid open that small amount Cream needed, and she squeezed through. Just as she made it out, the entire closet caved in.

"MOM!" Cream cried. She ran to the huge pile of debris that only moments ago had been her shelter from the storm, and began to pull away as much as she could. Cheese and Chocola flew up to help her, but she had other plans. She looked at them and cried, "Go find help, quickly!" Both Chao nodded and flew off as fast as they could toward the city.

* * *

Around twenty minutes later, Cheese returned with a truckload of firemen, who saw the heap of debris and immediately understood what the frantic Chao had been trying to get across for nearly five minutes before giving up and leading them there. Chocola, however, was nowhere to be seen. (He had separated from Cheese to cover more ground, and hadn't found anyone.) 

"Alright boys, get to it!" the driver ordered, getting out. All the firemen in and on the truck jumped to the ground and ran toward the heap, which, despite her best efforts, Cream had been unable to clear away. In fact, she had been able to move only a very small amount because of its weight.

"CHAO!" Cheese cried out to Cream. She turned and saw that help had finally arrived. (She hadn't noticed at first, due to how frantic she was.)

"Please help me!" she cried to the firemen as they approached. "My mother's trapped under the rubble!"

"Get digging!" the driver ordered the other men. "Ross, check her for injuries!"

"Yes sir!" one of the men said. He took Cream by the hand and walked her back to the truck, where he asked "Are you injured in any way?"

"No sir," Cream said sadly. "Just my mom. She's been trapped ever since a few minutes after it hit."

"Jesus," Ross said. "That's about twenty minutes ago."

"It didn't feel that long," Cream said, tears coming to her eyes again.

"I can hardly believe it," Ross said, taking his helmet off and running his head over his head. "We had about three or four twisters hit all over the city, and one out here, and the one out here did more damage than any of the others. It blows my mind."

"Please don't saying anything about blowing," Cream said.

"Sorry," Ross apologized.

"Hey Ross!" one of the other men called. "Over here!"

"Stay here," Ross told Cream, putting his helmet back on. He ran to the heap, where a few of the men were kneeling, looking at the same place. He spoke to the driver for a few seconds, then ran back to the truck.

"What's going on?" Cream asked.

"Would you go around to the other side of the truck and grab one of those blankets for me?" Ross asked, ignoring Cream's question. "They're inside one of the side panels."

"Alright," Cream said. She jumped down and walked around to the other side of the truck. As she walked, Ross reached into the truck and picked up the radio.

"9-8-7-4 to B-1," he said, keeping his voice low.

"Go ahead 9-8-7-4," the voice on the other end said.

"You'll have to forgive me for keeping my voice down, but there's a child here, and I don't want her to hear me," Ross said quietly. "B-1, we have one confirmed death."

**:Back in the present...:**

By this point, Cream was in tears, and couldn't even say a word through her sobs. Amy and Rouge were both close to tears themselves, and Tails, while not as close as they were, felt the pain of guilt stabbing him in the heart. When Cream hugged him close, the guilt overtook him worse than before, and he found himself ready to bleed if he thought it would help.

"I-I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have asked you-"

"You're damn right you shouldn't have!" Rouge said rather sharply, cutting him off.

"If you want to throw me out and make me walk home, I won't try and stop you," Tails said guiltily.

"Well, you didn't know any better, so I guess it's what anyone would have done," Rouge said, sighing at length. "No use picking on you for it now."

"And now I thinkwe can add a parking ticket to the whole thing," Amy said, looking in her mirror. Rouge and Tails turned around and looked, and saw that a police car had pulled up behind them. A policeman wearing a plastic poncho was already approaching the car. Amy turned the key enough to turn the car's electrical system on, then rolled her window down enough to be able to talk.

"You guys broke down?" the policeman asked when he reached the window.

"Yeah," Amy said. "Something's wrong with my engine. When this part of it gets wet, it won't work and the car stalls. I'm not sure what it is, though."

"You need me to call a towtruck or something?" the policeman asked.

"That'd be nice," Amy said. "It'd be nice if we could get a ride, too."

"I'm not on duty right now, so I should be able to take care of that for you," the policeman said. "Let me just call a towtruck for you, and I'll take you wherever it is you're headed."

* * *

Finally. Sorry about the long delay on this chapter, but for a while I had some trouble sitting down and typing out more than a few lines at a time. Plus, it's a frickin' long chapter. Proofreading it is gonna take me a while... Anyway, I warned you that there would be angst in the last chapter's summary, and you got it. Cream losing her mom may or may not have been what you were expecting, but it falls under the category of emotional pain, and that's what angst is to me. Well, review it plz. I hope you like it. Oh yeah, in case you're curious, that part about water flowing under the door DID matter. Vanilla wasn't suffocated by the weight of the debris. She drowned.

Alright, this part wasn't in the original draft of this chapter, which is why I'm separating it from the rest of the chapter epilogue. When I uploaded, a lot of the punctuation disappeared, so I had to go through and re-puncuate a lot of it. If there's an unusual amount of commas and such missing, that's why.


	40. There You Are

**CHAPTER 40: There You Are!**

"I still think you shouldn't have answered me," Tails said, looking at the floor.

"It's just how I was brought up," Cream said. "I've always been taught to answer questions when I'm asked, and to answer honestly."

"Like that time you were on the news and your bus got wrecked?" Rouge asked.

"Uh..." Cream began, hesitating.

"Don't answer that," Rouge said.

"How much longer?" Cream asked.

"We'll be there in a minute," Rouge said. "It's just another block or two."

"I hope that mechanic can figure out what's wrong with Amy's car," Cream said.

"I still think she should've let me fix it," Tails said.

"Stubborn little punk, aren't you?" Rouge said.

* * *

"Where the hell is she?" Shadow said to himself. He'd been trying to get in touch with Rouge ever since his little trip to the library, and so far had not had any success. Standing outside her front door, he peered in through the window for the umpteenth time, even though he knew perfectly well that he wouldn't be able to see through the curtains anytime soon. After a few more minutes, he sighed and gave up, then turned to head for home- just in time to see Rouge's gold Camry pull into an empty parking space. Inside, he saw Tails and Cream, but he paid them no mind, since he was more worried about talking to Rouge.

"Just so you know, there's really not much to do," Tails was saying as they got out.

"It's fine, I don't mind just sitting around and talking," Cream said back.

_Looks like the kid's finally got himself a girlfriend,_ Shadow thought, grinning. _Or at least, he's heading in that direction. Took him long enough._

"See you guys later," Rouge said, waving to Tails and Cream, who were headed toward Tails's apartment. The two of them waved back, then Rouge turned and looked toward her apartment, where she finally noticed Shadow.

"Hey Rouge, how's it going?" Shadow called. Rouge grinned and walked toward him, waving again.

"Been pretty good," she called back. "How've you been?"

"Decent," Shadow said in a more normal tone, as Rouge was within hearing distance. "Just been doing nothing since I got back from my little world tour. I'm thinking about challenging Sonic to another race pretty soon. But enough about me. What have you been up to?"

"Loads of things," Rouge said, reaching her front step, where Shadow was standing. "Wanna come inside and catch up on things?"

"That's what I had in mind," Shadow said.

"How long have you been waiting?" Rouge asked, reaching above her door frame for her key.

"About twenty or thirty minutes," Shadow said. "I've been trying to reach you for days because I've kinda been wanting to see you, but it's been tough to do."

"Needed some social interection, huh?" Rouge said, removing her key from the lock and opening the front door. She placed the key back on top of the door frame, then stepped inside, followed by Shadow.

"Nice place," Shadow remarked, even though he already knew what it looked like. "Makes my place look like the Ritz. And I admit that somewhat begrudgingly."

"Never seen your place, so I'll have to take your word for it," Rouge said. "You want something to drink?"

"No," Shadow said, sitting down. "Like you said, a little social interaction will do for me."

"Okay," Rouge said. "So, what exactly do you wanna talk about?"

"Well, for starters, I'd like to know where you've been the last few days," Shadow said. "I've been trying to get in touch, but no dice until now."

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Rouge said. "It started one night when someone was killed in Amy's restaurant, and-"

"I know about the murder and the attack," Shadow said. "Sonic told me."

"Okay, that shortens it a bit," Rouge said. "Well, I kinda fell for Knuckles, and went to visit him the other day. I got there and found out Sonic had decided on the same thing. While we were chit-chatting, another robot tried to kill us. We took care of it, then took it to Tails to check out."

"I wonder..." Shadow said, his voice trailing off as he rubbed his chin.

"What?" Rouge asked.

"Nothing," Shadow said. "Just trying to think who it could be this time around. Everyone knows Eggman bit the big one, and last time I saw Omega, he took Metal Sonic off. Said he wanted to rip him apart in peace. I didn't have any objections, so I let him go about his business."

"Yeah, I know about all that," Rouge said, nodding. "Anyway, like I was saying, when we got that thing to Tails's makeshift garage, he cut it open and started checking out its insides. Well, Sonic found this glass vial, and Tails pulled it out. He had to take his glove off, though, because it slid off when Sonic tried to take it out. He cut his finger on the vial because it broke, and he got the shit inside it all over his finger. About twenty or thirty seconds later, he passed out, and Sonic had to rush him to the hospital."

"Damn!" Shadow exclaimed, an astonished look on his face. "What was it?"

"Something totally new," Rouge said. "Never seen before. It gave him a high fever, made him sick to his stomach, and made him really moody. He beat the hell out of Knuckles for no reason. As for how this ties into me not being around this whole time, they asked us to stay because they didn't know if it was air communicable or not. They had to make sure we weren't infected. Well, we weren't, so they let us go once they got the test results, and here I am."

"And, is Tails still sick, or did he beat it this fast?" Shadow asked.

"They determined that the only way to catch it is through contact with bodily fluids, so they decided to let him go and see what happens," Rouge said, rubbing back and forth just below her bottom lip using her middle and index fingers. "I'm guessing that he's probably still gonna be moody, if nothing else. Just as long as he doesn't bite anyone, he should be okay."

"Or kiss anyone," Shadow said. "You realize he's alone in his apartment with a girl right around his age group, right?"

"She's aware of the situation," Rouge said. "I don't think she'd let him get close enough."

* * *

"Wow, that looks complicated," Cream commented, looking at Tails's blueprint over his shoulder(her chin actually resting on his shoulder).

"As soon as I figure out where I can get my hands on the right raw materials, I plan to build it," Tails said.

* * *

"Well, if she winds up in the hospital, we'll know you were wrong," Shadow said, shaking his head. "Are those two going out, or this kind of a new thing?"

"It's kind of new," Rouge said. "As in, it-started-while-we-were-in-the-hospital new."

"Oh," Shadow said. "I see. By the way, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," Rouge said.

"Do you know all the myths and junk about the Emeralds?" Shadow asked.

"Off the top of my head, yes," Rouge said. "Why, which one you interested in?"

"Uh, I read in a book that the Chaos World, as I call it, changes whenever something's threatening the world," Shadow said.

"Yeah, that's right," Rouge said. "Sonic can tell you all about that, since he's seen it so damn many times."

"Well, how does the world know when to change?" Shadow asked. "I mean, something has to drive it to do so, right?"

"There's a story about a so-called 'Chaos Guardian' that guards the Chaos World in much the same manner as Knuckles guards the Master Emerald," Rouge said. "Except that this 'Chaos Guardian' also has the power to manipulate the Chaos World to anything it sees fit. Long half-pipes; long, bending full-pipes and the like."

"Including arenas?" Shadow asked. "Full of crazy shit that can burn you bald, also leaving behind a burn that disappears when you go to sleep?" He pointed to the bare patch on his leg.

"I think it's your turn to do some explaining," Rouge said. "What were you doing in the Chaos World?"

"I decided to see how many Emeralds I could gather in one try," Shadow said. "Just for fun. Didn't have anything better to do."

"I see," Rouge said shortly. "Well, tell me about it. What's new this time?"

* * *

"Blobs of energy, huge frogs, massive arenas, and burns that go away when you go to sleep?" Rouge asked fifteen minutes later, just to make sure she had understood Shadow.

"Yeah," Shadow said. "I decided to look up why the Chaos World always changes, and the book I found said it did when the world was being threatened. What sort of threat, it didn't say. Also, it didn't say how it knows when to change, which is why I asked you." Before Rouge could say anything else, her phone rang. She got up and checked her caller ID, but she didn't read off the name.

"Don't know 'em, and don't care," she said. She let it ring, but rather than sit back down, she rubbed her forehead with her left hand.

"Something wrong?" Shadow asked.

"No," Rouge said. "I just don't feel so hot all of a sudden. I think I need to take a hot shower and lie down. Actually, I need a shower anyway. I haven't had one in days."

"Sounds like fun," Shadow said, standing up and walking toward the door. "I guess I'll leave you to that, then. How about if I call you tomorrow, and we can find something to talk about that's not related to someone getting sick or injured?"

"Sounds like a plan," Rouge said, nodding. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"See you," Shadow said, opening the door and skating out. Rouge closed the door, then leaned on it.

"Wonder what they're calling me for," she said. "I quit a long time ago."

* * *

Mkay, shorter chapter, I admit, but there wasn't very much for me to put in that had any relevance whatsoever. Not much I can think of that needs to go into this little epilogue either, besides review away. 


	41. Nothing To Do

**CHAPTER 41: Nothing To Do**

"Welcome to my humble abode," Tails said, opening his front door. "I'm sure you've probably seen better."

"I have," Cream said, looking around. "I've seen worse, too. You should see my oldest cousin's bedroom. I don't know how he moves around in there."

"Sounds like fun," Tails said, stretching. "Ah well, you should have seen how I used to keep my room. I had to fly in and out of there."

"Why 'used to'?" Cream asked.

"Let's just say, you have no idea how bad a claw hammer can hurt until you have a cramp and fall on one barefoot," Tails said. He sat down and removed his right shoe and sock, then held up his foot. There were two straight scars on the bottom of his foot, side by side.

"Wow," Cream said. "How long ago was that?"

"About a year," Tails said. "Sonic wanted to rush me to the emergency room, but I refused to let him. It was just two really deep gashes. I've had worse."

"I see," Cream said. Tails noticed she seemed to be trying not to breathe too deeply, and sniffed the air. It took him a moment, but he figured out what the problem was.

"Yeesh, guess I kinda smell, don't I?" he asked. "Not a surprise, I guess. I haven't had a shower in days. I don't think I'm the only one who hasn't, either."

"I guess not," Cream said.

"I'm gonna go take a shower real quick, then we can figure out something to do around here, how's that?" Tails asked.

"If that's what you're going to do, be my guest," Cream said. Tails stood up, kicking his other shoe off and picking his other sock up off the floor.

"Alright, I should be out in about fifteen or twenty minutes," he said. "The TV's all yours. Oh, and help yourself to anything in the fridge."

"Thank you," Cream said. Tails walked past her, toward the rather short hall in which the doors to his room and the bathroom were. He headed into the bathroom, closing and locking it behind him.

* * *

"Damn, that hot water feels good," Tails said to himself, nearly five minutes later. By this point he was already soaked to the skin, and had just begun to lather shampoo in his hands. This was one thing he hated about having fur all over his body: he went through shampoo like a theater goes through popcorn. Of course, he started with his head, being very careful not to get any shampoo in his eyes as he scrubbed between them. Unfortunately, he wasn't as successful when he scrubbed around his ears. He wound up with lathery shampoo running down each ear. Grumbling, he held his breath and put his face into the hot stream of water, this time without any shampoo on his hands. Once he had all the lather away from his eyes, he lowered his head and began to wash it out of the area around his ears, allowing water to flood them and wash the shampoo out. As he rinsed his head down, he opened his eyes for no real reason. What he saw startled him a little.

* * *

"Wow, they don't show much besides sports anymore," Cream commented, looking at the TV guide. "Fifteen sports networks, that's incredible. What is so exciting about a bunch of men slamming each other to the ground for an hour?"

"ACK!" Tails yelled from the shower.

"Tails, are you alright?" Cream called.

* * *

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine!" Tails called out. Then he thought, _Until I get out of here. Looks like I'll need to start wearing shorts or pants now, too. I was kinda hoping my fur would be long enough to cover all that up for a bit longer... Perfect. Just fucking perfect. I don't have to brush my fur aside to see my crotch, I don't have any shorts or pants, I have a girl in my apartment... I wonder if she could see it and wasn't saying anything, or if it's just visible when I get wet? ...Well, guess I'll have to think of something before I get out of here...

* * *

_

"What's that?" Cream said to herself, hearing what sounded like a hair dryer. She got up off the couch and walked back toward the bathroom, lifting one ear with one of her hands. She thought to herself, _I didn't know Tails had a hair dryer. Well, I guess with fur as long as his, a towel wouldn't work very well for drying. I guess I should feel lucky, since I'm all fuzz.

* * *

_

_Damn, so many wrong ways this could be interpreted,_ Tails thought. _It's not even funny. I'm sitting here with a blow dryer inches from my crotch, the heat turned up to max... If someone were to walk in on me right now, I'd never be able to explain what the hell I'm doing. That, or if I did, I'd never live it down. Thank God for door locks.

* * *

_

"Hey Tails, can you hear me over that?" Cream called through the door.

"Yeah!" Tails called back. He managed to keep any note of nervousness from his voice, although he was feeling more than a little nervous at the moment.

"Can't you just let your fur dry out on its own?" Cream called. "There's nothing to do out here! There's nothing but sports channels on TV!"

"Uh, sorry, but I kinda can't just air dry, actually!" Tails called. "It would be a little too much information if I told you why, too!"

"Is it embarrassing?" Cream called.

"Yeah, kind of!" Tails called.

"You can tell me, whatever it is!" Cream called. "I promise, I'll take it to my grave with me!"

"Are you REALLY sure you wanna know?" Tails called.

"Yes!" Cream called back.

_Quid pro quo,_ Tails thought._ She told me that whole thing about her mother, so I guess it's my turn to say something I don't really want to._ "Alright, but I warned you," he said as he turned off his hair dryer: he was getting tired of yelling over it. "I noticed while I was rinsing the top of my head that the general and his two privates were a little exposed, meaning my fur's not covering it up anymore. At least, not while it's wet. Problem is, I don't have any pants or shorts."

"Ooh, that's not good," Cream said. "Can't you just wear a towel around your waist?"

"I was kinda hoping just to dry off and get by with that, actually," Tails said. "I was honest with you, so I want you to be honest with me. Whether you intended to or not, you didn't happen to notice anything peeking, did you?"

"No," Cream said awkwardly.

"Alright, good," Tails said, feeling just as awkward. "Let's change the subject to something a little less awkward, then put it on hold until I get dried off and get out of here."

"You've got it," Cream said. "There's nothing on TV but sports. I'm going to go look again and see if I can find anything else."

"Okay," Tails said. He turned his hair dried back on, and Cream headed back to the living room.

* * *

"Wow, that looks complicated," Cream commented, looking at Tails's blueprint over his shoulder(her chin actually resting on his shoulder).

"As soon as I figure out where I can get my hands on the right raw materials, I plan to build it," Tails said. The two of them were sitting in Tails's room, obviously looking at the blueprint. The whole reason they were there was because Tails wanted to check his room in case Sonic had left an old pair of jeans in there. No luck, so he'd decided to sit down at his desk, and Cream had noticed the blueprint and shown an interest in it.

"What exactly is it?" Cream asked.

"It's a subatomic energy converter," Tails said. Cream was silent for a few seconds.

"So, what exactly is it?" she repeated.

"Well, that's just the name I gave it," Tails said. "Makes it sound more complex than it really is. I figure a better way to say it would be that it's a miniature nuclear reactor. A special one. Do you know how a fission reactor works?"

"I haven't the foggiest," Cream said.

"It works like this," Tails began. "When a specific isotope of an atomic element is put into the reactor, a neutron is fired into the element. This hits an atom, and it bursts, releasing energy and more neutrons. These neutrons hit other atoms, which in turn causes a chain reaction. The released energy is harnessed by the reactor, converted into electricity, and then it's sent out to power pretty much everything. That's the simplified explanation, though. There's a lot more to it than just that."

"Please don't go into specifics," Cream said. "I barely managed to understand what you've already said."

"Don't worry, I won't," Tails said. "Now, these fission reactors have a drawback: the fuel supply is rather limited. Scientists have been trying to create a fusion reactor, which would generate even more energy and create more fuel for fission reactors. That works by combining atoms instead of breaking them up. Now, what I'm trying to design is a special reactor that both creates fuel, then uses it up. It's on a much smaller scale, mind you, but it's the same principle. A fusion and fission reactor all in one, basically. Only problem is, I'm not entirely sure if the waste from the fission reactor can be used by the fusion one. If it can be, and the thing can even be built, and the ratio of fuel production to consumption is 1:1, then I've single-handedly invented the solution to free energy. If not, then we're not much better off than before I designed it."

"Wow, sounds amazing!" Cream exclaimed. "I still barely understood, but it sounds to me like you could sell that design and make more money than most people know what to do with!"

"Well, I would patent it, of course, assuming it worked," Tails said. "But before I did, I'd have to make absolutely sure I had a way to keep the press away. They're really annoying. Remember that guy a year ago that got killed in that movie store?"

"Yes," Cream said.

"I heard that when his mother showed up to identify the body, and she positively ID'ed it, the press was all in her face asking her stuff that no person should ever be asked," Tails said. Cream shook her head.

"I guess they'll grill anyone for a story, won't they?" she said.

"Yeah," Tails said. "Like I said, I'd have to figure out a way to get rid of them. I once heard one way to do it that might work."

"What's that?" Cream asked.

"It mainly works on the Jehovah's Witnesses, but the press would probably work too," Tails said. "Get yourself some religious pamphlets, then at night take a piece of chalk and draw an outline of a body on the ground, then scatter the pamphlets. Sleep till noon if you want to. Now, for the press, a camera and a pad of paper would probably be needed instead of the pamphlets, but it should work both ways."

"He he!" Cream giggled. "Sounds like fun. You should try it!"

"We don't have many problems with the Witnesses here," Tails said. "But hey, why not? All it would cost me is a couple credits to get some chalk, and a visit to a church to get some pamphlets. That's not much cost for some fun, especially the sort that's not prohibited by law."

"True," Cream said. She stood up straight, stretching, then she blinked a few times before saying, "Is it hot in here, or is that just me?"

"It IS a little warm," Tails agreed. He got up, walked over, and opened the window. Outside, the sun was shining bright. Tails stuck his face out the window and said, "The news said it was supposed to be really hot today. You might not have heard it while you were talking to Rouge."

"I guess I didn't," Cream said. "I don't watch or listen to the news anyway. Everything in the news is about sex, violence, and the weather these days. Even the news in movies. I'm still waiting for the day when I walk into the living room and find Aunt Kim watching a report about a porn star shot dead in a hurricane or something."

"Just wait, it'll happen sooner or later," Tails said.

"Tails, I was just wondering, do you have to work Saturday?" Cream asked.

"No, I don't think so," Tails said. "How'd you know I had a job?"

"Amy told me over the phone last week," Cream said. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the beach that day or something."

"Did I just hear you ask me out?" Tails asked, pulling his face back in the window to look at Cream. She nodded, blushing.

"I did," she said.

"Well, I don't have any plans that day, so I don't see why not," Tails said. "I thought you would be afraid of the water, though, after..." His voice trailed off.

"You have no idea how difficult it was for my aunt and uncle to get me into a bath for about three weeks after that," Cream said. "Eventually, I guess I got over it."

"Oh," Tails said. "Well, before we even think about the beach, I need to get some clothes for my lower half. I may not be indecent dry, but when I get wet, it all hangs out. I saw it in the shower. In the middle of the beach? Not a chance. But, I'm gonna wait until I get paid before I do that."

"Ah, okay," Cream said.

"Well, I don't know," Tails said, rubbing his chin with one hand. "Maybe I can get Rouge to take me shopping before then, and then I can pay her back."

"Maybe so," Cream agreed.

"I wonder what she's doing right now," Tails said.

* * *

"Listen, I told you before, I'm done!" Rouge snarled into the phone, leaning out of the shower as the hot water quickly poured out of the shower head. "I left for a reason- ah shit!" She'd dropped the soap, and since the phone wasn't waterproof, she couldn't continue trying to wash one-handed, lest she get the phone soaked and break it. She couldn't turn the water off, since the knobs were out of reach, and she wasn't talking to the kind of person you hang up on.

* * *

"It's still a little hot in here," Cream said.

"Stick your face out the window," Tails suggested. "The breeze feels great." Cream nodded and walked over to the window, pushing her face out. Tails was right, the breeze felt wonderful.

"That's better," Cream said.

"You know, under that fuzz on your face, you looked a little red," Tails said, grinning. "You sure you're not just hot because you're blushing?"

"Um, I might be," Cream said. "It was a little embarrassing for me talking about why you weren't coming out of the bathroom until you were dried out pretty thoroughly, and then it felt awkward asking you out, even in private."

"The feeling's mutual," Tails said, grinning sheepishly. At this point, Cream yawned widely.

"I'm a little tired," she said.

"If you want to take a nap, go ahead," Tails said.

"I usually wouldn't, but I think this time I'll make an exception," Cream said, pulling her head inside and yawning again. "I got to sleep late last night and woke up early this morning."

"I see," Tails said. "By the way, why aren't you in school today?"

"Teacher inservice day," Cream said.

"Oh," Tails said. "Well shoot, MY school doesn't have one this month."

"Bad luck I guess," Cream said.

"Well, anyway, pick a spot," Tails said. "The couch or my bed. It doesn't really matter to me."

"I think I'll take the couch," Cream said.

"Alright," Tails said.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Tails found himself sitting in his room alone, with no music, and Cream out in the living room sleeping. He sighed and said to himself, "Back to square one. Nothing to do. Well, except now I have to worry about getting wet in public."

* * *

Alright, bit of a... different chapter, I know. No other really significant comments for now, so review away. 


	42. Private Talks

**CHAPTER 42: Private Talks**

That ever-annoying sound of the phone rang out in Tails's apartment, taking his mind off his blueprint. Grumbling, the fox stood up, his chair rolling backward in the process. As he walked out into the living room, Cream sat up on the couch, yawning.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked.

"About an hour," Tails said. "I was gonna let you sleep longer, but this damn phone isn't very considerate of other people." Cream yawned again as Tails looked at his caller ID.

"Who is it?" Cream asked.

"It's Rouge," Tails said. "Why doesn't she just come over here instead of calling?" He sat down next to the table, picked up the phone, put it to his ear, and said, "Hey."

"Hey Tails, I need to talk to you in private," Rouge said. "Is this a bad time?"

"That depends," Tails said. "Am I allowed to bring Cream along, or does she have to sit this one out?"

"I'd kind of prefer if she didn't come," Rouge said. "It's a psychological thing, I can't really explain it."

"Then yeah, this is kind of a bad time," Tails said.

"Well, it's about..." Rouge's voice trailed off.

"What?" Tails asked. No answer. "Rouge?"

"Sorry," Rouge said. "Had to take a look outside. I think I'm being watched."

"By who?" Tails demanded, standing up.

"I'll explain later," Rouge said. "If this is a bad time, I won't bother you, but I REALLY want to talk to you about this. I can't go into details here. I think this line's been tapped."

"Alright, how about if I come over right now?" Tails asked.

"That'd be fine," Rouge said. "I just have to call Amy, then we can go pick her up and I'll explain."

"Alright," Tails said. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright," Rouge said. She hung up, and so did Tails.

"What's the problem?" Cream asked.

"Rouge wants to talk to me and Amy in private," Tails said. "From the way she said it, I'd say it's urgent. And she kind of doesn't want you coming along. It's a psychological thing, she said."

"It's okay," Cream said. "If you wouldn't mind, I can just wait here for you."

"I don't mind, just as long as you don't touch my stereo," Tails said. "I don't exactly listen to G-rated music."

"I've heard it all before, but that's okay with me," Cream said. "Maybe I can stare at your blueprint and try to understand it or something."

"Fine with me," Tails said. "I'll be back in a while."

"See you later," Cream said.

"See you," Tails replied, opening the door and walking out. He walked across about thirty feet of grass, stepped up in front of Rouge's door, and knocked.

"It's open!" Rouge called from inside. Tails walked in and closed the door, locking it. Rouge was standing beside her phone, waiting for Amy to pick up.

"No answer yet?" Tails asked.

"Not yet," Rouge said. "Nice thinking with the lock, by the way. Although I really don't think anyone would be dumb enough to just barge in here or anything. They probably know I've got a gun."

"You do?" Tails asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Rouge said. "Got it when I hit twenty-one. Wasn't at a bad price, either."

"Why would a gun matter, though?" Tails asked. "If it's them, nothing short of a railgun would stop them, right?"

"It's not the 'them' you're talking about," Rouge said. "It's another 'them' this time around." At this point, Amy finally picked up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey Amy, it's me," Rouge said. "Listen, if it's not a bad time, I need to talk to you in private. It's important. I can't go into details here. I think the line's tapped."

"Alright," Amy said. "You gonna come over here?"

"Yeah," Rouge said. "I'm bringing Tails too, since I wanted him to be in on this."

"Okay," Amy said. "How long will you be?"

"About fifteen minutes," Rouge said. "Can you leave the house, or are you still waiting for your friend?"

"He hasn't showed up yet," Amy said."I don't expect him to for a while."

"I was hoping to talk somewhere more private, like driving down the road, but I guess your place will do," Rouge said. "See you when we get there."

"Alright, I'll see you then," Amy said.

"Alright," Rouge said. They both hung up. Rouge grabbed her car keys and headed toward the door.

* * *

Rouge reached into her glove compartment and, with a groan, pulled out a small metallic device, which crackled a little as it was detached. She flung it out her window as they crossed a bridge. She said, "Alright, now that we're not bugged, you can talk." 

"So, who's watching you?" Tails asked.

"I got a call from my old friends back at the agency," Rouge said, stopping at a red light. "I think they're trying to harass me until I come back. They said they had a job, and I was their last, and I mean LAST, resort. They said all their other people were currently busy with... other things."

"And this pertains to Amy and me, how?" Tails asked.

"I'll explain once we get there," Rouge said.

"How'd you know that bug was in there?" Tails asked.

"Where else would they put it, up my ass?" Rouge asked sarcastically yet not offensively.

"Good point, and well made," Tails said. "Why all the secrecy?"

"I just think it's best to do it this way," Rouge said. "It's hard to explain. I'll try once we get to Amy's house."

"Okay," Tails said. "And, why is it just going to be us three? Wouldn't Knuckles want to know, among other people?"

"Tell you what," Rouge said, "I'm gonna pull up to this pay phone over here. I want you to get out, call Sonic, Knuckles and anyone else you can think of, and tell them we're meeting at Amy's house."

"Good point," Tails muttered.

* * *

"Come on in, guys!" Amy called when she heard the knock on her door. Rouge opened the door, and she and Tails entered, Tails closing it behind them. Amy leaned far enough out of the kitchen to see Rouge and Tails, and asked, "Anybody thirsty?" 

"Nope," Rouge said. "Thanks anyway."

"I'm okay," Tails said. "More curious than anything, actually."

"Aren't we all," Amy remarked. She pulled her head back into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water out of her refrigerator, then headed out into the living room. Tails and Rouge followed. Rouge and Amy sat on the couch, and Tails occupied a chair.

"Alright, first I want to say I'm sorry," Rouge said. "Sorry for the short notice, sorry for the secrecy..." She looked at Tails and added, "And sorry for dragging you away from your girlfriend."

"I woudn't exactly call her my girlfriend, actually," Tails said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Yeah, sure," Rouge said.

"So, what exactly are we going to be discussing here?" Amy said. "And why all the secrecy, as you called it?"

"Alright, let me start from the beginning," Rouge said. "Just a little while ago, I got a call while I was talking to Shadow."

"How's he doing?" Amy asked.

"He's doing fine," Rouge said. "I'll tell you something interesting about him after the more important things are out of the way. Anyway, after he left, I went to get a hot shower. While I was in there, they called again. Since it was a bit more private setting than before, I answered it. It was one of my old buddies back at the agency. They wanted to offer me a job. I told him I'd left, but he insisted that I hear him out. He also said it was because no one else was available, and I was the very last resort. Makes me fuzzy all over to think about that."

"What does he want you to do?" Tails asked.

"You're aware that over a thousand people have gone missing over the last several years, right?" Rouge asked. Tails nodded. She continued on, saying, "They want me to find out where they went. By any means necessary."

"Wow, it's really no holds barred with those guys, huh?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Rouge said, nodding. "I guess the cops finally got tired of trying to figure it out, and asked the agency to take over. That means I'd have access to all the equipment we'd need to be able to access the main systems of that robot back at the storage unit. I wanted to get some input from you guys before I made my final decision."

"Such as?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, seriously," Tails said. "We don't control you. You do what you feel is the right thing to do."

"I wanted to ask," Rouge said, "because no holds barred also means a pretty short leash. I'd have to report everything from what I found out, to how I found it out, to how many times I pissed, showered, inhaled, exhaled, and everything else while doing it. I'd have to share some information I really don't feel like they need to have."

"Why wouldn't they?" Tails asked.

"For one, as soon as they found out about the robot, they'd do anything to track it down and take it from us," Rouge said. "We'd lose our only lead just so they could check out its weapons, armor, and everything else. If they gave it back, and that's a pretty big if,it would be in very small boxes. No good to us at all."

"You wouldn't be able to ask them to hang on to its computers and such?" Amy asked.

"Hell no!" Rouge exclaimed. "Those paper-pushing pricks would do anything for something like that! The computer on that robot is probably the newest part! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they had shoot-to-kill orders against anyone who tried to stop them from taking it!"

"Here's what you do, then," Tails said. "We take and hide the parts of the robot that we need the most, let the agency take the rest of it, and both parties are happy. Then we just access the robot's systems with whatever it is you can get, and-"

"Won't work," Rouge cut in. "They'd want to know what I needed, why I needed it, where I was going to take it, and for how long. They're really stingy. If they feed you information on a need-to-know basis, they dish out equipment on a need-to-have basis."

"Damn," Tails said. "Well, what's another reason that you don't want to tell them? That one seems a little weak to me. Even IF they take the robot, there'e no guarantee that you can't have them access its CPU and release to you whatever they find."

"You want a better reason?" Rouge asked. "Alright, you've got it. Picture this. It's late at night. You're at home, in bed, getting laid or doing whatever. Little do you realize that the fly on the ceiling is a mobile camera device, and that there are miniature one-way radios hidden in the room, so they can see and hear in vivid, graphic detail. Does that sound like fun?"

"Not really," Tails said.

"Why would they ever do that?" Amy asked.

"They find out that the robot was meantfor anassassination, and those guys will be on you like stink on a pile of shit," Rouge said. "If you think they watch their own agents closely, you haven't seen the half of it. They'd have at least five people watching you at all times, including two by satellite, and a team of men packing lawgivers tailing you closely. I'm talking witness protection to the max. To annoying levels, really. If you order too much ice cream at the ice cream shop, they'll have something to say about it."

"Uh, maybe you could mention me to them," Tails said. "I could use that kind of protection."

"The first person to screw with you would be shot dead on the spot," Rouge said, shaking her head. "You don't want that on your conscience."

"I guess not," Tails said, looking at the floor.

"But anyway, back on subject," Rouge said. "That's why all the secrecy. Now, I feel a little guilty not telling this to Sonic, Knuckles, or anyone else, but let's face it, getting in touch with them would be very hard to do."

"Yeah, no joke," Amy said. "This is just a thought, but do you think I could relay all that info to Vector somehow and see what he thinks?"

"If you want," Rouge said. "What do you two think, in the meantime?"

"I say you keep them in mind, and we'll decide later," Tails said. "From what you've told us, the agency is only dragged in to handle really big, really hard stuff."

"Yeah, that's right," Rouge said. "And you're thinking that they probably wouldn't have any of their regulars available again for a while?"

"Exactly," Tails said, nodding. They both looked at Amy, who had finally opened her bottle of water and was taking a drink. She put up one index finger to indicate that she was going to be a second.

"Well," she said when she had lowered the bottle, "I agree with Tails. Keep them in mind, but don't say anything for sure yet. If you finally do decide to accept their offer, try to do it under some conditions that would work to our advantage."

"Such as?" Rouge asked.

"Well, if you gotta tell them what the robots were for, tell them to lay off the witness security crap, for one," Amy said. "I'm not sure I'd like to have people receiving satellite imagery of me in the shower. I've heard they can read the labels on candy bars with those things."

"Alright, I'll bear that in mind," Rouge said. "Any other input?" Tails shook his head, and Amy just took another drink. Rouge shrugged and said, "Alright, we'll consider the matter closed. For now, at least."

"Cool," Tails said. "Now, you said before that you were gonna tell us something interesting about Shadow, right?"

"Yeah, I was," Rouge said. "When I saw him earlier, he asked me if I knew how the 'Chaos World,' as he calls it, knows when to transform. You know, the world where the Emeralds exist?"

"Yeah," Amy said. "I hate that place. I'm still remembering the first time the plane went into overdrive while I was on it. You remember, back when Eggman had the crazy black robot doing most of his fighting for him?"

"What was that thing's name?" Tails asked himself. "Wasn't it something like G-Mel?"

"Yeah," Amy said.

"What happened when the plane went into overdrive?" Rouge asked.

"Well, I kinda never told anyone about this, but when the plane sped up and I nearly flew off..." Amy's voice trailed off.

"What?" Rouge asked. "Come on, you got me curious."

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but..." Once again, Amy's voice trailed off. This time, though, she found it before anyone could prod her further. "My panties flew off."

"Ouch," Tails said. "Bet you were a bit nervous about grinding on anything for a while, huh?"

"Yeah," Amy said. "But anyway, back to what Rouge was saying."

"Well, Shadow said that he'd been collecting the Emeralds, just to see how many he could get on his first try," Rouge said. "I think there's more to it than that, but he probably won't tell what. He said that he'd read that the world changes whenever the world's threatened. He said the book didn't go into specifics about what kind of threat, so it could be anything. I told him the myth about a so-called 'Chaos Guardian' who guards the Emeralds a lot like Knuckles guards the Master Emerald. Then he told me that he's been having to fight off some sort of energy masses that attack him relentlessly."

"Sounds like fun," Tails said.

"Probably is," Rouge said. "He's got a bald spot on his right leg now, where one of them burned him. He had a nasty burn there until he went to sleep. When he woke up, it was gone. It was still bald, though."

"Weird," Amy said.

"I have an idea," Tails said, scratching his chin.

"Shoot," Rouge said.

"Tell the agency that you suspect Shadow might have some kind of connection to whoever sent the robots," Tails said. "Tell them you want to watch him by satellite, and see if anyone contacts him or vice versa. I know it's pretty cruel, and not something friends just go around doing to each other, but you can have them call off the surveillance at any time."

"Now THERE'S an idea," Rouge said. "Assuming I even decide to accept the job." At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Amy called. The door opened, and Big squeezed his large body through the doorway.

"Hello!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hi Big," Amy greeted. "You sure found the place fast, didn't you?"

"Uh huh," Big said.

"Well, I don't really want to intrude on you, so I figure I'm gonna head out," Rouge said, standing up.

"Alright," Amy said, also standing up. Tails stretched before he stood.

"I need to get home, too," he said. "I kinda had to leave Cream hanging while we came over here."

"Whoa," Amy said. "Yeah, you ought to get going. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Alright," Rouge said, heading toward the door.

"See you later," Tails said, following her.

"Bye bye," Big said, stepping out of their way.

* * *

"I'll see you later," Rouge said as she got out of her car. 

"See you," Tails said. Just before they headed to their apartments,he said, "Oh, almost forgot. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"I don't think so," Rouge said.

"I was wondering if you could give me a ride to the mall or something tomorrow," Tails said. "I, uh, just found out earlier that I'm gonna need to start wearing something below the waist, because things start showing when I get wet."

"That's got to be embarrassing," Rouge said, trying not to laugh. "How'd you find out? Did you get out of the shower and Cream told you?"

"No," Tails said. "Luckily, I happened to look down while I was in there, and I noticed something peeking."

"Ah, okay," Rouge said. "Alright, I'll give you a lift. Not like I have anything better to do."

"Thanks," Tails said. "Well, I'll see you then."

"Alright, later," Rouge said. This time, neither of them remembered anything, and they both headed to their apartments.

* * *

"Well, that was interesting enough," Tails said to himself as he walked in the door. Closing it, he turned and headed toward the phone, intending to check the caller ID and see if anyone had called. He doubted anyone had, but he checked anyway. Once he confirmed that there were no calls, he noticed a gleam from off to the side. He looked over, and saw that his phone was clean, white, and shiny. He raised one eyebrow, then he figured out what had happened: Cream had apparently decided to clean it up. He turned and walked over to the couch, but the rabbit wasn't there. He called out, "Hey Cream! Where'd you go?" 

"I'm back here!" Cream called from the bathroom.

"Oh, okay!" Tails called. A minute later, he heard the sink turn on as he sat down on the couch. Another minute later, he heard the sink turning off and the toilet flushing. Cream walked out of the bathroom and into the living room afterward.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hey," Tails replied. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV just as Cream sat down beside him.

"What did Rouge want to talk about?" Cream asked. "Or is it none of my business?"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Tails said. "It wasn't anything you should be worried about."

"Okay," Cream said, sitting back. "I hope you don't mind, but I called my uncle and told him where I am."

"I'm fine with that," Tails said. "I noticed you kind of resurfaced my phone, too."

"I did," Cream said, nodding. "How long have you had it? All that gunk I cleaned off it looked years old."

"It was already a little cruddy when I got it," Tails said. "I've only had it maybe six months. The guy I got it from said he'd had it for years."

"Oh," Cream said.

* * *

Rouge stepped into her apartment around the same time Tails walked into his. She closed the door and leaned on it, letting her head fall back as she sighed. 

"Good to be home," she said. "Again." She leaned on the door for a minute, then headed to the kitchen to get a drink. She opened up the fridge and looked inside for a soda. Before she could reach for one, she felt someone throw their arm over her shoulder and catch her in a sleeper hold. Instinctively, she threw her left arm down, her hand balled into a fist, and pounded her assailant in the groin. She confirmed it was a man when the grip loosened. She whipped around to face him, but all she faced was a pistol aimed at her head, right between her eyes.

"You're losing it, Rouge," the man said. "They said you were better at this than that. They said you used to be able to kill a guy quicker than you hit me." He was a human, just a little taller than Rouge was, wearing a black tuxedo. His shoes were black leather. He had brown eyes, and brown hair with streaks of gray running from front to back. The pistol wasn't anything Rouge recognized, but that was for good reason. The man pulled the trigger, and Rouge was sprayed in the face with cold water.

"You little bastard!" she snapped.

"I know, aren't I?" the man said, lowering his water pistol. "I'm from the agency. My name isn't important."

"What do you want?" Rouge demanded.

"I've been following you, in case you talked to anyone we didn't know about," the man said. "I have the entire conversation between you and your friends on tape. But, I won't hand it over to my boss if you'll do something for me."

"That depends what it is," Rouge growled. "Breaking into my apartment then attacking me from behind hasn't exactly put me in a favor-doing mood."

"All I want you to do is to keep the offer in mind," the man said.

"Why should I do it?" Rouge demanded. "You must be free to do it if you've got the time to break in here and do this shit!"

"Actually, I'm waiting on the agency to send me some feedback on some info I sent them," the man said. "I'm still on a mission of my own. They just seem to be going about it slowly, I guess.Now listen, you know these guys don't have much patience, so if you choose to accept, do it soon."

"Yeah, whatever," Rouge said. "I'll call them when I reach a decision. Now get out of my apartment."

"Fine," the man said. He pocketed his water pistol, then reached into a pocket inside his jacket, pulled out a slip of paper, and dropped it on the table on his way out.

"What's that?" Rouge asked.

"Telephone number," the man said without turning around. "They changed the numbers, so whatever number you remember is invalid." With that, he opened the door and left.

* * *

'Nother chapter down. Things are getting kind of interesting, yes? Just wait until a few chapters down the road, heh heh. Review away. 


	43. Moving Ahead

**CHAPTER 43: Moving Ahead**

"Well?" demanded the sinister figure of Skull, lurking in the shadows as usual.

"Well Master, we've got some good news and some bad news," Black said nervously. "I'm sure you're aware that one of our units went astray from its mission and was captured, right?"

"I probably knew before anyone else," Skull growled. "What about it?"

"Well, we've been monitoring the targets, and we've got a problem," Black said. "The bat is considering going back to work for her old buddies at the agency, according to the unit monitoring her. If she does, she could acquire the means to access Number 62's memory chip. If she does, we could be discovered!"

"And you think I'm not aware of this?" Skull growled. "I've spent YEARS planning what is to come. I have carefully examined every possible scenario, and I know what could happen in every one."

"Yes, Master, of course," Black said. "I've been studying the new AI since it was developed, and it has a flaw. There are essential groups of coding found in it that group together to form unexpected protocols. Free will, per se. I've determined that to be the reason why Number 62 went astray."

"How many units have received the new AI?" Skull demanded.

"Ten so far, although one was destroyed," Black said. "We've selected a few units for a debug team, so to speak. To work out any flaws in the AI. So far, that's the only one we've found. One of the security units refused to follow an order to discipline a slave who was slacking off, and was destroyed the following day when it saw a slave being beaten. It had attempted to destroy the unit administering the punishment, but six other units positioned nearby stopped it."

"Great," Skull growled. "That's the last thing we need. Units with free will refusing to obey. Decommission the other nine as soon as possible, and delete the new AI programming. Perhaps the old AI was the better way to go."

"Yes, Master," Black said. "Also, we've had electrical failure in three of the mine shafts. The power core seems to be stretched to its limit. We may need to find another method of powering the complex, or we risk massive security failure. Lockdown would be impossible."

"Oh, that's great, more good news," Skull growled(lots of growling, huh?) while standing up. "Has anyone in R&D proposed a solution to this problem?"

"No," Black said. "Although I may have a solution."

"Tell me," Skull said in a more normal tone of voice.

"We could build a generator with a turbine turned by a large conveyor belt," Black said. "Then we could build a squad of units with no AI, programmed only to run in place on this belt, operating it like a treadmill and generating a continuous supply of power."

"By the time we completed that, the fools above would have figured out the secret to free energy," Skull said. "I'll think of something. Tell me, how is the Cybernetic Warrior program coming along?"

"We've determined it impossible to successfully equip the slaves with CW weaponry," Black said. "While we HAVE been able to attach the mechanical parts to their bodies, our initial hypothesis, that the electrical signals sent to their nerve endings would trigger the desired reaction in the equipment, was incorrect. The sensors in the equipment are unable to detect the signals, according to R&D. However, there IS a shred of good news about the whole program."

"Which is?" Skull inquired.

"The training ground is up and running," Black said.

"That's better news than you thought, Black," Skull said, chuckling. "Bring me a four-foot pole, an inch in diameter, made of the strongest alloy we possess. I want one end shaped into a point. Also, select ten security units and release them into the training ground. I'm going to break it in."

"Yes Master," Black said. "Will there be anything else before I go do that?"

"Yes," Skull said. "How many Emeralds has our dull-witted hunter collected?"

"Two so far," Black said. "One of the slaves brought them in."

"Excellent," Skull said. "Now go do as I ordered."

"Yes Master," Black said, backing out of the room.

_Perhaps it's time to step up our timetable,_ Skull thought. _Move ahead with the plan. Our resources will not last forever, so we need to get a firm foothold before they start to wear thin..._

* * *

I know, short chapter. Anyway... I'll bet a lot of you weren't thinking about our as yet undescribed villain Skull, so I figured a nice reminder was in order. I was gonna say something else, but I forgot what it was. Ah well. Review away. 


	44. Failure

**CHAPTER 44: Failure**

_I still find it incredible,_ Shadow thought, tossing a golden key up and down in one hand. He was standing in front of a giant, golden, floating ring, which had a keyhole in the center. _The challenge on the inside changes, the means of getting inside doesn't. Who- or whatever it is that changes the Chaos World must not have much imagination. Well, at least, as far as gateways go. I'd think that after Emeralds started disappearing, the gateway would change BEFORE they were all gone._ Finishing with his thought, Shadow turned and looked at the setting sun before he threw the key at the keyhole and watched as it was sucked inside. The keyhole glowed a bright shade of gold, then expanded, filling the space inside the ring. Shadow jumped into the portal, which vanished as soon as he was inside.

The blobs met Shadow less than two seconds after he touched the ground inside the Chaos World. Once again, he was in a circular arena, 200 feet in diameter, the floor sloping upward and forming twenty-foot walls. Of course, the walls were complete with barriers to prevent anything from leaving the arena. The whole area was colored yellow, the same color as the Emerald, which floated hundreds of feet above. Shadow wasn't aware of its location, and at the present, he didn't care. He jumped up and forward, clearing the line of blobs in front of him. Upon landing, he turned around and saw that about twenty of them had been waiting in ambush.

"Clever little bastards," he said. "Must have been expecting me." He stepped forward to attack them, but stopped when he felt the ground shake. He heard an impact behind him at the same time and turned to look. His eyes went wide and he backed up, yelling, "Oh, now that's BULLSHIT!" He was staring at a thirty-foot robot of a very familiar design. It had very dark armor, wide legs, wide arms, a small head, a broad chest, and a very large hammer.

_Matters couldn't be much worse,_ Shadow thought. _I need Omega for this shit. Too bad he had to go and shut himself down. He'd be DAMN good to have around right now. He wouldn't even ask questions, so he'd be a perfect candidate!_ The sound of the robot beginning its slow approach jerked Shadow away from his thoughts, and he turned and skated toward the blobs. Rather than his Homing Attack, he gave a hard kick. In the process, he not only propelled himself off the ground, but he also provided himself an extra burst of speed. While he was airborne, he threw his legs out in front of him so that he was moving feet-first. His heels impacted the blobs, sending them flying up in the air. He cleared the group in one motion, then turned around to see what he'd done. The blobs all began to hit the ground, but there was a problem: none of them solidified.

"Bullshit!" Shadow repeated. "That impact was no different from my Black Tornado! What's the deal?" He turned and skated away as the blobs began to roll, hop, jump, and tumble over each other to get at him. The giant hammer bot continued its slow approach as well. It kept its blank yellow eyes on Shadow the whole time. Shadow was at a loss for what to do. If his kick attack didn't work, that meant Black Tornado wouldn't, as they both worked the same way, except that they had different means of propelling the target straight up. The impact both of these attacks utilized was similar to that of his Homing Attack, so that was unlikely to work as well.

_Think Shadow, THINK!_ the black hedgehog thought over and over. He stopped at the point where the floor began to slope upward, then turned and looked again at the scene: twenty blobs were bearing down on him, there was a huge-ass robot slowly following those, and the Emerald was nowhere in sight. The only idea that dawned on him was crazy, even suicidal. But, it was the only idea he had, so he was willing to try it. He jumped forward to give himself a fast start, then landed skating. He closed in on the blobs quickly. He jumped over them easily, flipping in the air,landing on the other side of the pack. He stopped and let them turn around to come after him. This didn't take very long, then he led them back toward the robot. The blobs followed instinctively, unaware of what Shadow was fixing to employ them to do. As he closed in on the robot, he began to time his strike. Just before he entered hammer range, he jumped up, still moving forward. He clung to the robot's chest armor, using himself as bait. The blobs began to lunge at him one by one. He was about to jump away when the robot had a stroke of intelligence and scooped the hedgehog off its chest. It held him upside-down by one leg as the blobs attacked. Luckily for Shadow, the ones in the air couldn't stop, and they slammed into the robot. They exploded violently, damaging the robot's armor. But, the damage was not enough to stop the mechanical powerhouse. Shadow was slammed to the ground, stunned by the impact. He regained his senses just in time to see the massive hammer come down at him with all the force of a dozen pistons.

* * *

"JESUS!" Shadow yelled, jerking himself into a sitting position. Breathing heavily, he felt himself drenched with sweat, but otherwise fine. He wasn't even sore. It took him a moment to realize that he was being addressed.

"Shadow, what happened?" Sonic's voice demanded. Shadow shook his head, then turned and looked in the direction from which he heard the voice. Sonic was kneeling next to him, a look of extreme concern on his face.

"Sonic?" Shadow asked. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"You tell me!" Sonic exclaimed. "I was on my way home when I saw a bright light appear in the air. I saw it spit you out before it disappeared. I came to see what was going on, but you were unresponsive. For a few minutes you didn't have a pulse."

"I was dead?" Shadow asked.

"I think so," Sonic said, nodding. "Course, I'm no expert."

"You... didn't perform mouth-to-mouth, did you?" Shadow asked, putting his left hand on his forehead and shaking it again.

"We take that to our grave, agreed?" Sonic said.

"You got it," Shadow said, nodding. He stood up slowly, groaning. He looked up at the night sky for a few seconds before anyone said anything else.

"Kind ofmade me jump when you justjerkedup like that," Sonic said. "Anyway,I've told you my side of the story. Your turn, Shadow. What the hell happened to you?"

_Quid pro quo_, Shadow thought. He closed his eyes and shook his head yet again, saying, "I was messing around, having some fun and trying to see how many Emeralds I could get in one try. I suffered a minor setback, and I apparently paid for it with my life. It just... didn't last long."

"Why don't I believe that's all there is to the story?" Sonic asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Why would I lie?" Shadow retorted.

_Any number of reasons,_ Sonic thought. He turned his head a little to the left leered at Shadow. He said, "I'll take your word for it for now. But something in your voice tells me there's more to it than you let on."

"Whatever, Sonic," Shadow said. "I'm going home." He began to skate past Sonic, but the blue streak's arm shot out and grabbed Shadow's elbow.

"Wait," he said. Shadow stopped. Soinc asked, "How did it happen?"

"What?" Shadow asked.

"How did you die?" Sonic asked.

"Remember those huge-ass robots Eggman used to use?" Shadow asked. "The armored ones with the hammers?"

"One of those?" Sonic asked.

"It's like I said to myself on the inside, I need Omega for that kind of shit," Shadow said. Sonic released him, and he skated off.

"Shadow, man, I don't know what crawled up your ass and died," Sonic said to himself, "but it's going to come out sooner or later. It'd be in your best interest, I think, for it to be sooner."

* * *

Well then ladies, gents, boys, girls. Enjoying the show, I hope? Your reviews say yes, but I just wanted to ask anyway. Y'know. Just in case. Anyway, to summarize what happened... Shadow failed to obtain the third Emerald due to a "minor setback", as he so mildly put it. Well, he's died once before(or so I've heard), so it must not have been a big deal... He came to in a field, where he had been found by Sonic. Of course, there is the freakish occasion where a dead person comes back to life, and this was one of those. Don't expect Shadow to have ESP, though. That only happens in movies and books. That about does it for that. The rest just kinda fell into place. Well, review away. Oh, by the way, I hope to God you're enjoying these battles for the Emeralds. It's really hard for me to think up challenges to be met. Also, this just now came to me, but one of this story's two main genres is Action/Adventure. These battles are making up most of the action for now... Now that I think about it, I've got so many freaking elements of different genres in this story that I'm probably better off changing the genre to General, or putting a genre on each chapter or something. ANYWAY, I know I said it before, but I'll say it again. Review away. 


	45. Pain of Defeat

**CHAPTER 45: Pain of Defeat**

"Ow, shit," Shadow groaned as he dragged himself through his front door. "I'm probably going to be feeling that for a week." Since he'd left Sonic, he'd been aching all over. The only reason he could think of was the fact that he'd been smashed by a huge robot with more power than a speeding bus. His head hurt in particular. It hurt so badly that he felt as though he were going to throw up. In fact, as few seconds after he lay down on his bed, he jumped back up, ran to the sink, and did just that.

_Shit,_ he thought. _That thing really must have fucked me up. I know I was pretty much dead and all, but last time I checked, people who came back from the dead didn't have a tendency to toss, pitch, and throw their cookies._ Before he could think anymore, his stomach decided now was an opportune time to finish emptying itself. After he was done making a huge mess in the sink, Shadow turned on the faucet and rinsed the mess down the drain, then he leaned down and sucked in some water from the flow. After swishing it around in his mouth for a few seconds, he spit it out and leaned on the sink for a few seconds.

"I'm going to need to rethink my strategy on this one," he said to himself. He turned around and looked at the floor for a minute, thinking. If the robot was smart enough to rip him off, slam him down, then smash him, he couldn't use himself as bait for the blobs. He'd have to use them another way. But if they wouldn't solidify, then how COULD he use them?

_That must be the key,_ he thought. _Those things are polar bodies, meaning they must have some kind of magnetic properties. Perhaps they'll stick to the robot's armor. But I would have to find some way to force them to explode. But that's after I find some way to make them solidify._ Before he could do any more thinking, Shadow heard something moving around outside. He walked to the window and looked outside, but he couldn't see anything.

"Wonder what it is," he mumbled under his breath. "Must be a deer or something. There's not many of them around here, but they're out there somewhere." Shaking his head, Shadow turned around and headed to bed. He was alseep almost immediately.

* * *

Knock knock knock. Shadow groaned. Knock knock knock. He rolled over. Knock knock knock. He sat up, opening his eyes. Knock knock knock. 

"Alright already!" Shadow called. He got out of bed, kicking off his shoes when he was on his feet. He walked barefoot to the door and opened it.

"Finally!" Sonic said, exasperated, as soon as Shadow opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked sleepily.

"I've been wondering if you were alright!" Sonic exclaimed. "I've been trying to get in touch for the last two days!"

"What?" Shadow asked. "I saw you last night, didn't I? Or did I dream that?"

"No, you saw me like two or three nights ago," Sonic said. "Did you hit your head after you left?"

"Not that I know of," Shadow said, blinking. "I just went to bed after I got home, and when I woke up, all I heard was knocking."

"You slept for two days?" Sonic asked, astonished. "Good god! Sounds more like you were in a coma!"

"It does, doesn't it?" Shadow said. "You want to come in and sit down, or are you going somewhere?"

"I'm kind of busy," Sonic said. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead or anything. You ARE a little pale, though."

"And you know this how?" Shadow asked.

"The spot around your moth," Sonic said. "How else?"

"Whatever," Shadow said. "Maybe I'll go see a doctor or something. I'm still aching all over. And I need to think about some shit. Like how I got crushed by that thing and I'm still standing."

"Somehow, I get this feeling that we'll find out before everything's over," Sonic said.

"You ever figure out who sent the robot?" Shadow asked.

"No," Sonic said. "Still working on it. Speaking of which, I've got to go. Later."

"See you," Shadow said, yawning. Sonic turned and ran off toward the road, and Shadow closed his door. He walked over and threw himself back on his bed, sighing at length. He said to himself, "I wonder what would have happened if Sonic hadn't come along out there."

* * *

Sorry for a few things, everyone. For one, the long-ass wait. I've been preoccupied with other junk. For another, the shortness. This is basically the other half of the last chapter. Lastly, I think the quality of my work may be slipping. I'm beginning to lose my liking for writing or something. Don't worry, though, I'm going to finish this fic, one way or the other. If the quality starts to slip, let me know, please. I want to know that this ended as well as it started. 


	46. A Day at the Beach

**CHAPTER 46: A Day at the Beach**

Saturday had arrived. The weather was very hot and sunny. The humidity was high. Despite all this plus poor air conditioning, Tails had managed to sleep until almost noon. When he finally woke up, the first thing he did was throw his blanket to the floor, get up, run to the window, and open it. He rested his head on the windowsill, panting. His bedroom was stiflingly hot. His fur was soaked with sweat, which he found to be highly uncomfortable. He hated to be wet unless he was swimming or in the shower.

"Swimming..." the sweaty fox mumbled. "Wasn't I supposed to go to the beach with Cream today?" Across the way, he saw Rouge open her front window. She looked out and saw Tails resting his head on the windowsill and waved. He raised one arm and waved back lazily. Rouge went back into her apartment, and Tails pulled his head inside. He turned and headed back to his bed to sit down. He rested his chin on his hands, too hot and tired to do much else.

_Heat fatigue is the worst,_ he thought. _Already being tired makes it even worse. And it smells like hell because I'm sweating. Guess I need to take a shower. Think I'll go do that now. I hate cold showers, but I hate baking even worse._ He stood up and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower. On the way, he stopped and turned the thermostat as low as it would go. After a few seconds, he still didn't hear the sound of the air conditioning.

"Great," the fox said, agitated. "The freaking air isn't working again. Oh well..." He sighed and headed on to the bathroom. After closing the door, he turned and looked into the mirror. The fur all over his head was a mess, not to mention the rest of his body. He turned toward the toilet, saying to himself, "Happy Halloween." After taking a moment to relieve himself, he flushed the toilet and climbed into the shower, closing the curtain behind him. He waited a few moments to make sure the water didn't come out hot and burn him before turning on the shower, as he'd done this before just after flushing the toilet. The cold water rushed forth through the showerhead, further soaking Tails from head to toe. He shivered a little before giving in and turning on some hot water.

_So much for a cold shower,_ he thought. _Oh well, lukewarm isn't that bad. At the very least, now I'm not just wet from sweating._ He reached for the shampoo and pointed the head of the bottle toward his hand, squeezing it. When no shampoo squirted into his hand, his face turned sour as he thought, _Damn it! I'm out! I need to pay better attention to that._ So, he simply did the only thing he COULD do to get somewhat clean: he turned the hot water up. Once it grew as hot as it was going to get, he turned down the cold water until he was being burned to the point where he could barely stand it. Burning the filth off wasn't his favorite method of doing it, nor was it the most effective, but he had to do something. He stood there and rubbed his body all over, letting the water soak completely into his fur and reach his skin. After nearly ten minutes, the water began to cool: the hot water was running out. Tails allowed the water to cool until the hot was completely gone, then he took a breath and began to rinse himself down with the cold water. He could feel goosebumps rising up on his skin, although the only way he could tell was by the chills he was getting all over. After he'd cooled himself down well enough, he turned off the water completely and leaned on the wall.

"If I ever have to do that again on a hot summer day," he said, shaking his head. "I hate doing that." He lifted up his tails, shaking them back and forth and hurling water against the other walls of the shower. He tilted his head to the left and right, popping his neck both times. Then he lifted his arms, bringing his hands together in front of him. He began to pop his knuckles with the heel of each hand. Then, he stretched, pushing his abdomen forward a little. When he stopped stretching, the small of his back popped loudly. After this, he stood back up straight and lifted his feet behind him one at a time. When he had one foot up as far as it would go, he reached behind him and grabbed that foot with the hand on that side. He lifted up on the front of his foot, causing his ankle to pop. Once he had popped all these joints, he opened the curtain and stepped up to the counter.

_I need to stop popping all my joints like that,_ he thought. _But it's a habit, and a hard one to break._ He picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste, turning on the sink. He wet the brush, then squeezed toothpaste onto it. He wet this as well before putting it into his mouth and brushing his teeth. As he ran the brush over his tongue, he heard the phone ring.

"Crap," he said with the toothbrush still in his mouth. He removed the toothbrush and spat out all the toothpaste, rinsing the toothbrush under the faucet at the same time. Then he bent over and sucked in some water from the faucet, swishing it around in his mouth quickly. After roughly three seconds, he spat into the sink and ran to the living room, where the phone was still ringing. He picked it up and answered, "Hello?"

"Hi Tails," Cream said. "It's Cream. You weren't asleep, were you?"

"No," Tails said. "I was just getting out of the shower."

"Oh, okay," Cream said. "I wasn't sure when I should call, since I didn't know when you got up on Saturdays."

"I haven't been up very long," Tails said. "But anyway, we still on for the beach today?"

"I am if you are," Cream said. There was a loud bang on her end of the phone at this point, causing Tails to jump slightly.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Cheese was doing something with a bookshelf, and the shelf fell out of place," Cream replied. "So now I'm going to have a mess of books to clean up before I leave."

"Okay," Tails said. "How long are you going to be?"

"I would guess about forty minutes," Cream said. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, take your time," Tails said. "Might want to dress lightly. It's burning up outside."

"I know," Cream said. "Our air conditioner broke down yesterday. We've been burning up ever since. My uncle Jack keeps saying that if this heat keeps up, he'll be sweating table salt before too much longer."

"I see," Tails said. "Well, my situation isn't much better. The A/C here sucks."

"Ours blows," Cream said jokingly.

"Nice one," Tails said, not having the strength to laugh due to his heat fatigue. "I'll be waiting for you. Just walk in when you get here."

"Alright," Cream said. "I'll see you then. Bye."

"Later," Tails said, hanging up. He sat down on the couch and reached for the TV remote, but suddenly his head began to ache as though someone had inflated a balloon inside his skull. The sudden pressure was immediately unbearable. He clutched his head with both hands, his eyes shut tight. He couldn't last long before he had to open his mouth and cry out. Another few seconds, and the pressure began to ease slowly. Roughly one full minute passed before the fox could open his eyes again and let go of his head. When he did, he was panting as though he'd just sprinted for a full mile.

_What WAS that?_ he thought. _I must still be sick. Good thing I decided to wait until Monday before I started school again. Gives me some extra time to get rested up and all that. But... I don't want to have to call Cream back and tell her I can't come because I just had a headache from hell. Besides, it's going away already. I think I'll be alright. But, DAMN, that HURT... I need a drink._ Getting up, Tails walked out into the kitchen and opened his refrigerator. As the cool air blew out into his face, he felt two lines running down his face that were cooler than the rest. He wiped his face and realized his eyes had been watering.

"Wow," he breathed. "I didn't even notice those. That headache was THAT bad? That's unbelieveable. Well, this virus was a new one. There's bound to be unexpected flare-ups and things like that." Finally, now that he was rather cold, Tails reached down into the fridge and pulled out a Pepsi, then turned around and headed back to the couch. Upon sitting down, he opened the can and took a long drink. The cold liquid ran down his tongue, tickling it on its way toward his throat. As he swallowed it, the fox quickly began to feel cooler all over as well as refreshed. After drinking roughly half the beverage, he held the can up to his face and pressed it to his forehead, cooling his face even more than the air from the fridge had done. He let his head fall back slowly, resting it on the back of the couch and closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he shivered; he was having chills due to the nearly-freezing can pressed to his face. He lowered it to his side, resting his hand on the cushion beside him while holding the can upright. This moment of total relaxation was short-lived, however. A knock on the door dragged him back to the harsh world of heat, humidity, and headaches. He sighed and got up, dragging himself to the door as though his feet weighed 500 pounds. When he opened it, he found Sonic on the doorstep.

"Tails, are you alright?" Sonic asked before Tails could say anything.

"Kind of," Tails said halfheartedly. "Why?"

"I was upstairs and I heard you scream," Sonic said, concerned.

"It was just a really sudden, really bad headache," Tails said. "Might have something to do with that stupid virus I caught. But I'm okay now, really."

"You don't look like it," Sonic said. He reached one hand forward and ran an index finger down one side of Tails's face; specifically, the streak left by one of his tears. "Must've been a hell of an ache, unless you're suddenly into drama films."

"Hey, cut it out," Tails said, swatting Sonic's hand away. "I'm turning fifteen in a week. I'm not a baby."

"Chill bro, I'm just worried about you," Sonic said. "Seriously, no one has any clue what this virus does in the long run. I don't even think the guy that designed it knows. It could be one of those things that stays with you for life."

"Virus or no, I'm not going to just quit everything I have planned because I don't know when my head's going to ache!" Tails said fiercely. Sonic's eyes went slightly wider and he backed up a few steps.

"Easy, buddy," he said. "You're starting to look a little... agitated."

"I'm feeling it too," Tails said, his face not one of happiness. "Actually, I'm feeling more than a little."

"Alright, I get your drift," Sonic said. "Just keep in mind, I'll be home all day today in case you need something."

"Why are you not going for your usual run today?" Tails asked.

"Truth be told, I'm feeling a little green myself," Sonic said. "Think it might be one of those summer colds. That's what took me so long to get down here. I was in bed when I heard you yell, and I was a little wrapped up in what I was covered with."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Tails said. "Later." He closed the door without waiting for Sonic to say anything else. Taking another drink of the Pepsi he'd been holding the whole time, he turned and headed toward the kitchen.

* * *

"Butte!" Butthead was saying as a transparent road sign grew transparent over his face. He continued laughing like the moron he was as that sign disappeared and a new one appeared, this one saying Pecke. He kept laughing as this one disappeared and was replaced by a third. "Weippe!" he said, reading the third and final sign.

"What an idiot!" Tails exclaimed while laughing. He wasn't laughing idiotically, unlike Butthead. Rather, he was sitting on his couch watching one of his favorite animated movies, _Beavis & Butthead Do America_. As Beavis appeared cackling, there was a loud knock on the door. Tails turned down the volume with the remote and called out, "Come in!"

"I can't!" Cream called. "My hands are full!" Tails sighed, turned off the movie, got up, walked to the door, and opened it. Cream was standing there on her toes, her back to the door, one arm around Cheese, the other around Chocola. Both Chao were fighting for all they were worth to get to a boy a few doors down from Rouge's apartment. The object of their desire was the ice cream cone in the boy's hand. Their combined strength almost lifted Cream off the ground.

"I got one of them," Tails said casually. He reached up and grabbed Cheese, holding the Chao's wings in his hands. Cheese dropped like a rock to the ground and landed at Tails's feet. The fox reached down with both hands, lifted the Chao off the ground and took him inside while Cream wrestled Chocola inside the door. As she dragged him inside backward, Tails pushed the door shut with his free hand, the other still confining Cheese's wings.

"Thank you," Cream said, releasing Chocola. He flew up to the window and almost slammed into it, then he turned and stared enviously at the boy with the ice cream.

"Have you ever considered putting these two on a leash?" Tails asked, releasing Cheese. He flew up to join his brother at the window, and they both began trying to nudge each other aside for a better view.

"I have, but I didn't have the heart," Cream said.

"Might want to either get the heart, or forbid them to follow you anywhere," Tails said. "I heard on the news a couple weeks ago that the city's considering a law requiring leashes on all pets, including Chao."

"I know," Cream said, her ears flattening against her head in a sad way. "Uncle Jack told me when he found out. I still don't have the heart to do it, though."

"Well, the final vote is supposed to be soon," Tails said. "Might want to either get the heart, like I said, or keep them inside. I don't think the legislature is going to veto that one."

"I know," Cream said, sighing and looking at the floor.

"Anyway, you don't look too thrilled with this subject," Tails said. "Let's find a new one."

"How are we getting to the beach, anyway?" Cream asked, lifting her head back up.

"After you called and I nearly bit Sonic's head off, I called a cab," Tails said. "I told them I want it here at a quarter after one, since I wanted to be sure we still had time in case you got here late."

"Thanks for that," Cream said. "Nice shorts."

"Oh, thanks," Tails said. He was wearing dark blue shorts which were slightly loose on him, and above the waist, he was wearing a white T-shirt. As for his feet, he'd managed to find a pair of sandals at the store, and was wearing those instead of his shoes. He ignored Cheese and Chocola, who were now fighting over the window, and said, "Nice dress. You don't plan to swim in it, do you?"

"Of course not," Cream said, giggling. She was wearing one of the dresses that she had said her aunt had told her to stop wearing so often. The red color greatly contrasted the fuzz covering her body. "I may occasionally have a chill when I think about swimming, but that doesn't mean I don't have proper swimming attire. I'm wearing it under my dress."

"Okay," Tails said, not having anything better to say. He pointed at the Chao fight at the window and asked, "Are you just going to let them fight like that?"

"Why not?" Cream asked with a shrug. "They do it all the time. I've given up trying to stop them. I gave up a long time ago."

"Alright," Tails said, turning and heading back toward the couch. "You might want to get comfortable. It is..." He looked at his watch. "Nearly one. The cab's not going to be here for over fifteen minutes."

"Okay," Cream said. She walked over and sat down right beside Tails and looked at him. "What were you watching when I got here?"

"Something I'm not sure you would like very much," Tails said.

"What is it?" Cream asked.

"_Beavis and Butthead Do America_," Tails said.

"You were right," Cream said slightly disgusted. "I HATE those idiots. I walked in on my cousin twice while he was watching it one day. I saw two scenes of the whole thing. That guy in the blue shirt was on an airplane ranting about his-"

"I know," Tails said. "Saying he needed pikata for his bunghole."

"Yeah, that," Cream said, nodding. "The other part I saw was where that same idiot was surrounded by FBI agents with guns. His shorts were missing, and he was yelling about his..."

"Bunghole," Tails said, finishing her statement. "And they were ATF agents, just so you know."

"And you've watched that movie how many times?" Cream asked.

"More than I can count," Tails said. "That's not all I watch, though."

"Good," Cream said. "What else do you have?"

"There's this one Rouge loaned me called _Hannibal_," Tails said. "But that one was just..." His voice trailed off and he shuddered. "It's about an escaped convict named Hannibal Lecter, who was imprisoned in a mental institution because he was a cannibal. I had nightmares for three nights straight after I saw it. There's this one part where he takes the top of a guy's head off, then he cuts off a piece of his brain, fries it in a skillet, and feeds it to the guy he took it from."

"Please, stop!" Cream cried. "I don't want to hear about it!"

"Sorry," Tails said. "It's a bit disturbing, but I thought it was a good movie anyway."

"Do you have any other favorites that aren't as disturbing?" Cream asked, shuddering as she tried to keep mental images from forcing their way into her head.

"_Major Payne_," Tails said. "That one's funny. A military man who's into killing like nothing else is discharged from... I think the Marines. After that, he gets re-instated as a CO for a group of kids in an ROTC program at a school that had been placing last in the Virginia Military Games for eight years running. Their ages range from six to close to eighteen. At least, I THINK it's eighteen. I'm not sure because they never say how old the oldest one is."

"A six-year-old in an ROTC program?" Cream asked, tilting her head to one side. "Weird."

"I thought so too," Tails said. He leaned back and closed his eyes, relaxing. "His parents died in a car wreck and he was adopted by the school at which Major Payne was assigned."

"Still, an ROTC program is overdoing it," Cream said.

"Being a little kid didn't get him much special treatment," Tails said. "Only thing it netted him was a bedtime story and being allowed to sleep in more livable conditions." At this point, the two heard the sound of a car horn outside. Tails got up to go look, and when he looked outside, was surprised to see a cab waiting outside.

"It can't be the cab already," Cream said. "It's too early. It's not even five after one!"

"So they're early," Tails said casually. "Drivers probably can't understand English. I guess that means I can tell him 'no tip' and he'll just nod and agree when he can't understand me."

"Cheapskate," Cream said teasingly.

"So sue me," Tails said, grinning. He reached down beside the door and picked up a blue cooler with a white zipper near the top, holding it by the black strap attached to it. This he had filled with sodas and ice after he'd called the cab. (After he'd set that down and gone back to watching TV, it had taken him all his willpower not to open it and dump the ice out over his whole body.) In a side pocket in the cooler, he'd placed two plastic bags from the local grocery store, which he had saved from the last time he'd gone. Into one of these he planned to put his shirt, and the other he'd reserved for Cream, since he wasn't sure if she was the type of person who just wandered around town wearing nothing but a bathing suit. In another bag beside the cooler was a pair of towels. Tails grabbed this bag as well as the cooler.

"I hope the beach isn't too crowded today," Cream said.

"We'll find out," Tails said, opening the door using the hand holding the bag. Outside his door, roughly ten feet in front of his front step, was a pink bicycle with a white seat. This was chained and padlocked to the rail at the foot of the steps leading to the apartment above. Tails narrowed his eyes in response to the bright sunlight and said, "Rode your bike, I see."

"That's right," Cream said, stepping up behind him.

"I don't see any helmets anywhere," Tails said.

"I was brought up to be polite and courteous to everyone I meet," Cream said. "That is not the same as memorizing and then living by every single rule ever written and some that weren't."

"Amen to that," Tails said, walking outside. Cream followed him out, Cheese and Chocola flying out over her head. She closed the door as the two Chao wailed loudly: the little boy with the ice cream had finished his treat and was heading back toward the apartment in which he lived.

* * *

"You have a nice day," the cabbie said to Tails and Cream as Tails swiped his card through the slot on the meter. His tone was a dull one, slightly slurred and spending too much time on each word. He sounded half drunk, in short.

"Remember, need someone back here at 4:30," Tails said. "Radio it in, will you?"

"Certainly," the cabbie said, putting the car in gear. He faced forward and drove off, rolling up his window at the same time.

_What an asshole,_ Tails thought, pushing his credit card back into his right pocket. _What the hell did he mean he didn't take money from kids? This is a real freaking cred card!_

_Jerk-off!_ Cream thought at the same time. _What did he mean when he said he didn't take money from kids? Did he think we were going to pay with play money? Well, at least that idiot recognizes a real money card when he sees one._

"Well, here we are," Tails said, turning around and looking out toward the water. "The bea... ch..."

"What?" Cream asked, turning to look as well. Her eyes went wide.

"What happened to the sand?" Tails exclaimed. Towels were spread everywhere, most of them occupied, very little sand showing between them. Near the water, children struggled to build sandcastles, all of them failing because of the waves. Out on the water, an unusual amount of people were out surfing.

"Well..." Cream began, trying to think of something positive to say. The only thing positive about the situation was this: she was positive it was going to be very difficult to find a place to put their belongings.

"Just bad timing, I guess," Tails said. He looked left and right, and didn't see any space. "Wow, are there really THAT many people in this city?"

"Have you noticed something these last few weeks?" Cream suddenly asked.

"Along the lines of what?" Tails asked, still looking for a place.

"Have you noticed how our luck has just kept declining?" Cream asked, looking at Tails. "Like some force beyond our control is at work, purposely making life hard for us for its own twisted means?"

"I've thought that for years," Tails said. "But yeah, I have noticed the extra helping of bad luck lately. Why are you asking this now, anyway?"

"I don't know," Cream said. "I was just rambling, I guess."

"Hey, there's a spot!" Tails said, pointing. About twenty feet in front of them, a woman was gathering up her belongings and calling to her children, who were down near the water. Tails and Cream started toward her, walking between three groups along the way. They stood for about a minute waiting before the woman got up and left, carrying her belongings. Her children had come by this point and left with her, carrying some of the load. Tails dropped the cooler to the side and spread a towel in the middle of the open space. Cream kicked off her flip-flops on the towel.

"Well, at least we didn't have to walk half a mile to find a place," Cream said.

"True," Tails said, removing his sandals. "If you hadn't mentioned that thing about our luck, we might have started walking and never seen this spot. Thanks for that."

"Just got lucky I guess," Cream said. She reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress, then she pulled it up over her head, revealing her bathing suit. It consisted of two pieces; they were both bright yellow. The bottom piece consisted of the bathing-suit equivalent of briefs, while the top extended from her chest to about an inch below her sternum (for the less anatomically knowledgable, this is the bottom of the robcage). The two straps over her shoulders were roughly one-half inch thick. She pulled the dress off and folded it where she was, then dropped it into a bag held by Tails, who had gotten the hint while Cream had been folding her dress and removed the aforementioned bag.

"You wear a lot of yellow and white, don't you?" Tails said, tying the bag closed.

"Just like Amy wears a lot of pink and red," Cream said.

"Good point," Tails said. He pulled the other bag out of its place and opened it, then he reached back with one hand and grabbed the back of his shirt collar. He pulled it over his head one-handed, shoving it into the bag once it was off. He also pulled off his gloves and watch and threw them inside, followed by his credit card, which he hid in the middle of the whole mess.

"I wonder why there are so many people," Cream said.

"I have no idea," Tails said. "What I'd really like to know is where your Chao went."

"They'll be here," Cream said. "They just don't like cars very much. But don't worry, they always know where I am."

"I guess so," Tails said. "Well, first order of business: get wet and inhale some water!"

"That getting wet part sounds more attractive," Cream said, stepping over the cooler and toward the water. Before she could keep going, though, the sounds of two overexcited Chao reached her ears. She turned toward the sound and said, "Wow, they were fast."

"I didn't hear anything," Tails said, turning to look also. Seconds later, the two Chao came flying over the sand toward them. Oddly, they came from across the road rather than down the road; this meant they must have taken a shortcut, or they had raided something. The fact that both of them were clean was a good sign, but there was still a possibility that somewhere they had left behind either a crying child, an angry ice cream vendor, or both. As the two Chao approached, they noticed the children at the waterline trying to build their sandcastles. Both Chao saw a prime opportunity to cause a little mischief. They flew past Cream and Tails and threw themselves on the first castles they reached.

"Well, that was unexpected," Cream said to herself.

"On the bright side, at least no one got ticked off," Tails said as the failed-architect children began laughing at the sand-covered Chao rolling in the ruins of their attempted creations.

"The water wiped out too many castles, so by this point, no one will care," Cream said. She started toward them as Tails headed for the water. As he passed, Chocola decided it might be fun to see how wet sand flew. He scooped up a big lump of sand and hurled it at Tails with his little arms. Tails got hit in the foot and ignored it. Cream began to giggle until Cheese started pelting her with sand; he'd liked Chocola's idea.

_Those have got to be the most energetic and mischievous Chao I have ever seen,_ Tails thought as Cream began to reprimand them for throwing sand at people. At this point, the remains of a broken wave washed over his feet, cooling them immensely and washing away the sand. Enjoying that feeling, he waded out further, until the waves hit his waist. He turned around and looked, and saw Cream heading toward him.

"I think I took care of that!" she called.

"What did you have to do?" Tails called back.

"Threatened them with no dinner tonight," Cream said in a more normal voice, drawing almost even with Tails. "I don't mind them rolling in the sand, but I refuse to let them throw it."

"Well, it works," Tails said as a wave broke a few feet away. It washed over his waist and Cream's belly as it headed for land. "Even though I get this feeling that you just stopped them so they wouldn't throw it at you."

"Why would I ever do that?" Cream asked in such a manner that it was obvious that she was joking. Tails gave a little laugh, then turned and waded forward until the waves were almost strong enough to knock him over. Cream was still standing in the same spot watching.

"I love doing this!" Tails called back as a wave approached. "I just brace myself and see how many waves I can take before I go down! I can sometimes take five, but it's usually the first or second that get me!"

"Good luck!" Cream called. "That one looks like a mean one!"

"Nah, this is nothing!" Tails called back as the wave broke over him, drenching him up to his chest.

"I meant THAT ONE!" Cream cried as a monster of a wave rose up. Tails looked, and his ears flattened against his head. He was looking at a wave at least nine feet high. The last one had only been around four. Surfers out a little farther were pointing at the wave and yelling, and Tails only caught words like "DUDE!", "MOVE!", and "HE'S TOAST!" before the wave began to break. All he saw was the white of the water as it came barreling toward him.

"Holy-" was the last word to escape his lips. Suddenly, the water crashed into him, and he was gone. Cream gulped, took a deep breath, held it, held her nose, and closed her eyes. The wall of water slammed into her as well, and she was wiped from her place and dragged toward shore.

"Whoa!" shouted one surfer from the safety of his board. "They got annihilated!"

"Man, what a wave!" another one called, floating in the water, holding onto his board. "Those lucky little shits!" A moment later, Cream resurfaced near the beach as the wave grew too weak to hold her any longer. Tails took a little longer to come back up; he'd taken the brunt of the wave and was slightly dazed. Fortunately, when he'd been wiped out, he'd been thrown a little to the side and missed Cream, otherwise she would probably have been knocked senseless. Cream simply sat where she was in the water, rubbing the water off her eyelids before she opened her eyes. Tails also sat there with his eyes closed, but he was coughing and sputtering, since he hadn't held his nose and had inhaled water. He was all coughed out before either of them spoke again.

"Are you okay?" Cream asked.

"Yeah, great," Tails said slightly weakly. "THAT is why I love taking waves. The wipeouts."

"You're crazy," Cream said, using her left arm to slide her right shoulder strap back onto her shoulder.

"So what?" Tails said. "At least I have fun with it." He stood up and walked back toward where the last wave had almost erased him. He withstood two more waves on the way back, and when he got back to his place, another big one began to form. This one was only seven feet high, but it was still a significant threat in terms of power. But this time, Tails had an idea. He wasn't going to mess with it; rather, he took a deep breath, ducked below the surface, and waited for the wave to pass over. Bad luck struck at this point. Tails didn't realize it, but he was being pulled away from the beach by a riptide. He didn't realize it because his head began to pound as it had back at his apartment. He clutched his head under the water, trying not to scream and waste all of his air. He nearly succeeded, but too many air bubbles passed through his gritted teeth and out of his body. He had to swim upward before the ache subsided. Once he broke the surface, he breathed in deeply, still holding his head. (He had kicked to the surface.) Before he was up for a second and a half, another pain struck him, knocking him senseless. He was unaware of the surfer that had splashed down beside him, nor did he realize that he was sinking. There was no water, no surfer, no beach. But there was pain and a floating feeling. He was floating, but where was he? He slowlyloosened his eyelids as his chest began to ache once more. He was beginning to pull it all together. He couldn't breathe. There was no air. If there wasn't air, then what was there? He opened his eyes, but shut them as the water washed against his eyeballs. Water. He was floating in water, which was why there was no air. How could he get air if there was only water? Almost immediately, his answer came as he became aware of a tugging feeling. He was being pulled up. But what was up there? He couldn't think anymore; his mind was too clouded by the throbbing in his skull. His brain felt as though it had swelled to the size of a watermelon. As the next second passed, it felt like an hour to the dazed and confused fox. Once this second-hour had passed, he could feel cold all over his face and head. He realized this was air, and began to breathe.

"Kid, you alright?" a surfer was asking; it was the surfer who had run into him as he'd come up. Another one was swimming toward them, using his surfboard for a floatation device. Tails only moaned in reply.

"Damn, Scott, looks like you got him pretty bad," the other surfer said as he drew near. "How did you not see him?"

"He came up right in front of me," the first surfer said. "I didn't have time to react. I was in the air before I could do anything."

"What happen?" Tails groaned weakly. The two surfers each held the surfboard with one arm and Tails with the other. They had him slung over the floating board as well.

"Sorry kid," the first one said. "I didn't have time to react. You just came up out of nowhere and surprised the hell out of me."

"What're you talking about?" Tails groaned. "God damn, my head..."

"What were you doing all the way out here, though?" the second surfer asked. "Only surfers are supposed to be out this far."

"What?" Tails asked, regaining his mental faculties. "I could touch the bottom before. What happened? I just ducked under a wave, and..." He turned and looked back toward the beach, his eyes going wide. He was out at least three times as far as he had been before. Had he really been underwater with that sudden headache for that long?

"You must have stayed under a long time," the second surfer said. "You've got to be careful out here. The riptides and undertow are really bad around here."

"The waves, too," the other surfer said. "I saw you get hit by that nine-footer. Lucky little prick. I'd have given up an arm and a leg to ride one of those!"

"You can have them," Tails said. "Why are you out here if the big waves are more inward?"

"Beach rules," the surfers said at the same time.

"Can't come within a certain distance of the beach as long as you're surfing," the first surfer added. "The waves out here aren't too bad though. You can get moving pretty fast."

"I figured," Tails said, rubbing the back of his head. He brought his hand around to his face and looked at it to make sure he wasn't bleeding. He didn't seem to be, but he still felt like hell.

"You want one of us to take you back toward shore?" the frist surfer asked.

"If you wouldn't mind," Tails said.

"I'll take him," the second surfer said. He pointed out toward the open water and added, "Josh got your board, Scott."

"Cool," the first surfer said. "Well, sorry about hitting you kid. Hope there's no hard feelings."

"Aside from the feeling that you hit me really hard, no," Tails said with a weak chuckle. Neither surfer laughed, they just shook their heads grinning. Scott, the first surfer, swam off toward another of his buddies, who was holding onto both his own surfboard and Scott's. Meanwhile, the surfer still with Tails began to kick his feet, swimming toward the beach. Tails followed suit, one arm around the surfboard, the other out of the water, his hand on his head.

"So how DID you get all the way out here?" the surfer asked.

"I was about to get hit by another of those really big waves," Tails said. "I ducked under the water and stayed there until it passed over. I had this really sudden, really bad headache, and all I could recall was swimming to the surface, another sharp pain, and a feeling like I was floating."

"That must've been Scott hitting you," the surfer said.

"Probably," Tails said. His eyes scanned ahead and he saw Cream waiting anxiously for him. As he approached, she attempted to come to him, but was unable; there were too many waves, and some of them were rather large. Tails thought, _That explains why she wasn't out here by now. Couldn't make it. I wonder why the waves are so big today, though. They've NEVER been like this. Something must be going on in the environment that the news hasn't mentioned. Maybe a hurricane's forming off the coast or something._

"Almost there," the surfer said. "Think you can make it on your own from here?"

"Yeah, I think so," Tails said, nodding. He let go of the surfboard and began to rotate his tails, pointing them downward, keeping himself afloat.

"You take it easy, alright?" the surfer said.

"Alright," Tails said. "Thanks for the help out there."

"Don't mention it," the surfer said. "Just be more careful. Remember what we said about those riptides and junk. Things are nasty around here."

"Alright, I will," Tails promised. The surfer turned in the water and swam off back toward his buddies, still holding on to his surfboard. Tails turned and started siwmming back toward Cream, his head still pounding. Less than a minute later, he swam up near Cream, who was still upset.

"Tails, are you alright?" she cried as he came near.

"Besides my head pounding, I'm fine," Tails said. "I think I'm going to lay off playing with the waves for the day, though. They're bigger than usual."

"I know," Cream said, her voice somewhat calmer. "It's crazy." Suddenly, a high-pitched noise pierced the air, drawing the attention of everyone within a large area. Several more of the same noise sounded all down the beach.

"Oh crap!" Tails exclaimed. "Out of the water!" He grabbed Cream's shoulders and turned her around, pushing her toward the beach. She started in that direction as fast as she could, followed by Tails. The noise had been whistle blasts from the lifeguards, who had spotted fins out in the water. Whether they were sharks or dolphins was not yet known, as they were too far out. The surfers, meanwhile, were using all their surfing skills to get back to the beach as fast as possible. One of them, the one who had hit Tails, shouted with excitement as he caught a large wave ("HELL YEAH!" he shouted.); one of the large ones that had knocked Tails for a loop.

"I don't believe this!" Cream cried. "They can see fins from a mile away but they couldn't see you get hit by that surfer!"

"I wasn't even up for a full second," Tails said. "They would have had to be looking right at me to see me."

"I guess so," Cream said slowly. The two of them were on the sand roughly ten seconds later, then they turned to look out on the water. Everyone on the beach was watchng as well. The surfers reached shallow water soon enough, then they jumped off their surfboards, picked them up, and ran for the beach.

* * *

"That was the biggest waste of time," Tails groaned, laying on his towel, his right arm covering his eyes. He'd been in this position for the last twenty minutes, and he was only complaining because he felt that he needed something to bitch about.

"Well, at least they were only dolphins," Cream said. "It was fun to watch them jump out of the water, too."

"Oh sure, it was fun," Tails said. "For anyone who didn't have such a bad headache that they were sensitive to the light."

"I'm sorry," Cream said, sitting down beside Tails. "I'm guessing you just want to lay here until your head stops hurting?"

"Yeah," Tails said. "Or until the cab gets here, whichever comes first."

"Okay," Cream said. "I think I'll work on my tan."

"Through all your fuzz?" Tails asked. "You don't even have any skin showing through all of it, except your ears and nose."

"So?" Cream said, stretching out beside Tails. The people to their right had left, and Cream had spread her towel out besides Tails's. "I'm sure I can still get a tan anyway."

"Well, whatever," Tails said. "Go ahead if you must." Cream lay back on her towel, closing her eyes, listening to the sounds of Cheese and Chocola raiding the cooler and taking sodas. As she lay there, she noticed the sound of snoring coming from her left. He turned her head and looked, and saw that Tails had fallen asleep.

"Well, so much for the day I had imagined," she said. "He gets beaten around and falls asleep, and no one wants to go back in the water after all those dolphins came. I don't care that they don't want to, but what right do they have to stop me from going?" She sighed and turned her head back toward the sky, closing her eyes again, remembering the abundance of soccer moms that would not allow her to set foot in the water when she had tried.

* * *

Okay, I got that one done. Thank God... Sorry about the wait. Big hefty chapter for you. Also, sorry for the abrupt end, but I was impatient to get the chapter up, aside from an inability to think of anything else that one might do on a crowded beach where there's no room to do much of anything. 


	47. Specialization

**CHAPTER 47: Specialization**

"Sorry I'm late," Amy said as Tails climbed into her car. "There was a road block a few blocks away that I had to sit through."

"Why are you, of all people, apologizing?" Tails asked jokingly, pulling his seatbelt on. "You're the boss, right? You CAN'T be docked any pay, can you?"

"Good point," Amy said with a grin, backing the car out of the parking space. "On a more serious note, though, if I so desired I COULD deprive myself in that manner and that would be kind of like a pay cut." She sighed a few seconds later, shaking her head. "As much as I like how much money we make, I hate Sundays. Such a chore."

"Well, I was thinking about something earlier," Tails said. "A new way to do things that should reduce the workload for you. Maybe for all of us."

"Do tell," Amy said, suddenly rapt with attention. She was listening so intently that she nearly stopped paying attention to the road.

"You know what the term 'specialization' means?" Tails asked.

"Kind of, but I can't really put it into words," Amy replied.

"Well, I read about it in an Economics book in Social Studies class," Tails said. "Basically, the way it works is, everyone has some kind of specialty, something that they do best. Virtually every country in the world does it, and it increases the total output of each one. I figured we could do the same thing."

"I set that up the best I could," Amy said. "I got Katie and Lance in the kitchen, Graham and me serving tables, I put you on register for the present, and I handle the paperwork. Course, if it were up to me there WOULD be no paperwork, except maybe for bookkeeping. Stupid tax forms..." She used a nastier tone for the last part. "I hate tax law."

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but you screwed up a little bit," Tails said. "What's your specialty out of all those things?"

"To tell the truth, I don't have myself doing what I do best," Amy said. "My specialty is in the kitchen."

"Alright," Tails said. "Knowing that, I figure we could do it like this: you and Katie in the kitchen; Graham and Lance on tables, with Lance just following Graham with trays; and I'm a number cruncher. I can do the register, and if you teach me how, I can deal with those tax forms and what other paperwork there is. I could probably do it in a big hurry, too. Or you could just hire an accountant to deal with it."

"I liked what I heard up until the part about the paperwork," Amy said. "I'd prefer to do it myself. Don't take that the wrong way; I don't mistrust you. I just feel more secure knowing that I did it myself and I know what went in the books. It's just a psychological thing I can't explain."

"Well, at least think about it, will you?" Tails requested, looking toward Amy. "You never know. You might decide it's a better way to go than you're doing now."

"Alright, I'll think about it," Amy promised. "But I won't promise you anything beyond that." She began to apply the brakes, groaning at length. Tails looked ahead and groaned as well.

"I wonder what holiday last night was," he muttered as they slowed to a stop: there was another road block ahead.

"Well, we can wait a few minutes," Amy said. She turned to Tails. "How's Sonic? I haven't talked to him for a few days."

"He's up to something," Tails said, shaking his head. "He told me yesterday that he had a summer cold and he was staying home, but I don't think he did. He wasn't sniffling, coughing, or anything. He's a crappy actor."

"Indeed he is," Amy agreed. "Always trying to act like I was a pest, but I KNOW he always had to have something for me. But go on."

"He was careful to mention that he'd be there all day if I needed anything," Tails said. "But seriously, I was at the beach. I had no cell phone. How did he expect me to be able to call?"

"Couldn't tell you," Amy said. "By the way, how was the beach?"

"It sucked, it blew, it did everything between," Tails said. "I nearly drowned twice, and when some dolphins swam near the shore, soccer moms congregated and wouldn't let anyone into the water who couldn't break their kung fu grip."

"Soccer moms?" Amy repeated. "Elaborate."

"Well, the term is kind of general, but they all fit most of the criteria," Tails said. He began to count on his fingers. "They're generally fat, they have kids, they think they can control everything and everyone, they try to speak for their own kids, they don't listen for crap,they're hypocrites, they think everyone below twenty-one who wears anything black is Gothic... The list goes on and on."

"Well, at the rate you were going, you might have finished before we got out of this traffic," Amy said, one eyebrow raised. "When I have kids, I'm going to remember this conversation. I'm going to try to avoid that. But, one thing. They're hypocritical, how?"

"Best example I can think of is this," Tails said. "You're in the mall at EB Games or something. You pick up _Halo 2_or something rated M. You'reeighteen years old. Some fat bitch walks up to you- what?" He stared at Amy for a few seconds, shrinking back. She wore on her face the most threateningI-dare-you-to-say-that-again glare the fox had ever seen. He realized what he'd said, and his eyes went wide.

"Yeah, that's right," Amy said in a threatening tone. "Keep talking like that. I'm not above turning somewhat soccer mom in the case of that sort of thing."

"Sorry," Tails apologized, his ears flat against his head. "I guess I was a little too into it. Er... do you still want me to finish?"

"No," Amy said. "I think I get what you were going to say. Someone walks up, tells you to put it down, then snatches it from you and buys it herself, right?"

"Wrong," Tails said. "You missed some stuff. She calls you goth because you're wearing black socks or something, or she just thinks you have too many piercings, even if you don't have any. She thinks you're badmouthing her in too loud a voice, no matter how quietly you whisper your apologies. THEN she snatches the game and buys it. For her five-year-old."

"People are so dumb sometimes," Amy said, shaking her head and checking ahead again. She pulled up several feet and stopped.

_Can't believe I said that,_ Tails thought. _I guess I was really about to get on a rant about it. That, or the virus was making me a little more... enthusiastic than usual. Either way, I have REALLY got to stop that. Where did I even pick up the habit, anyway? Maybe I need to punch myself in the head every time I say something like that. That should stop me in a big hurry._

"It's crazy," Amy continued. "Still, it's people like that who put the... flavor in the world. If there were no idiots, there would be no toilet humor."

"I'd like to know how they live to be that age with such low intelligence," Tails said.

"Must be lucky," Amy said. "There's an old saying: 'Everyone starts off with a bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill your bag with experience before your luck runs out.' I'd say people like that either stole someone else's bag of luck, or they got sacks."

"Amen to that," Tails said, nodding. "Still, you gotta love those videos of retarded skater punks just about killing themselves in really stupid yet funny ways." He changed his voice a little for the next part. "'Hey, let's see if I can pull this incendiary grenade pin with my balls!' What a bunch of idiots. But anyway...Now it's my turn to ask questions. Having fun catching up with that guy... what was his name again? Big?"

"Yeah, that's right," Amy said. She yawned before she went on. "Well, I don't have much to tell him about that wouldn't bore him out of his mind, but wow, he's got some stories. The jungle sounds like it can be as bad as the big city."

"Only differences between the two are that the city would prefer to take your money before your life, and you have cars to worry about," Tails said. "Other than that, no real differences."

"Yeah, I think that about covers it," Amy said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I'm letting Big stay at my house instead of at the motel he'd found. I told him about what could be a good fishing spot not far from my house while I'm at work, so he won't be bored. At least, I hope not."

"I doubt it," Tails said. "If it's the same spot I'm thinking of, he'll probably be more concerned with the jerks that hang around there than the fish. Anyway, how long's plan on staying, anyway?"

"Well, " Amy said slowly, "I think he's staying longer than he'd originally planned. I kind of told him about the robots, and I guess he thought he needed to stick around in case we had trouble with any more. He means well, but it just worries me more. If something happens to him, too..." Her voice trailed off.

_If something happens to him, you think his blood is on your head,_ Tails thought, finishing Amy's sentence fairly accurately.

"Well, better sit up straight," Amy said, reaching down to dig through her purse for her license. "Those cops are reallylashing out for minor things lately."

* * *

"'Is that your son?' " Amy repeated, pulling into her parking space at the diner. "What kind of stupid question...?"

"You are four years older than me minus a week," Tails said, shaking his head and taking off his seat belt. "Anyone could tell at a glance that there's not much age difference between us. That cop was either drunk, or he thinks that people are having children at younger ages than ever before."

"I think he was drunk," Amy said, shutting off the engine, removing her own seat belt, and looking at Tails. "I don't see one thing we have in common."

"Well, at any rate, we got here," Tails said. "Only problem is..." He pointed down the road, which was literally packed with cars. The church groups were already arriving.

"Where's another road block when you need one?" Amy said, exasperated, opening her door. She and Tails both got out, hurried to the diner, and headed toward the counter, where Graham was waiting, irritated.

"You're the last person I'd expect to say this to, but you're late," he said, glaring at Amy.

"I know, I know," Amy said hurriedly. "I got stuck in two road blocks. Now shut up and listen. You're going to be working with Lance today."

"WHAT?" Graham yelled.

"He's just going to carry trays for you," Amy said. "You just lead him to where they need to go and you'll be serving them. If anyone tries to say something that you think might be a recipe for trouble, cut them off and explain as briefly as you can. Understand?"

"I guess," Graham said. He looked outside and added, "I'll ask why the change when we get time." Amy didn't reply; rather, she headed to the kitchen, grabbing an apron along the way. Inside, Katie caught sight of her and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm late, I know," Amy said, cutting her off. She turned and looked around. "Where's Lance?"

"Heck if I know," Katie said. "Why, afraid he'll get lost in the pots and pans?"

"Not exactly," Amy said. "He's working with Graham today. We're changing things a little. I'm going to be working in here instead of serving tables this week, just to see if things work out better."

"You're not afraid Lance will...?" Katie asked, not finishing her thought, as she knew Amy understood.

"I think Graham can handle him," Amy said. At this point, Lance walked into the kitchen, followed by Tails.

"Look who I found sleeping on the flour sacks in the back," Tails said.

"HELLO!" Lance yelled, not really sure what time of day it was.

"Good, just the man I wanted to see," Amy said. "Lance, you're with Graham today. Just do what he tells you."

"What's wrong?" Lance asked, cocking his head to the right.

"Nothing, just felt like a change," Amy said. "Now get ready. People are already showing up."

"Come on, big guy," Tails said, leading Lance out by his hand. Lance followed him backwards.

"What's all this about, anyway?" Katie asked.

"Lance will do a better job than I will helping Graham, and I'll do better helping you," Amy said. "Lance is stronger than I am, so he can carry things better. I'm a better cook than he is, so you won't have to worry about dealing with all of the tricky stuff."

"I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out," Katie said, leaning on the counter beside her. "I'll bet Tails was the one who ran it by you, wasn't it?"

"How'd you know?" Amy asked.

"He comes along, then not two weeks later, we have a big change in how we do Sundays," Katie said. "Even Lance could've figured that one out withno problem."

* * *

"Bad news, y'all," Katie said glumly, leaning out the kitchen door. "They finished off the last batch of soup. I can make another one but it'll be time to re-open before it's done."

"Don't worry about it," Amy said, resting her chin on her hands. She was leaned forward with her elbows on the table in front of her. Beside her was Graham, who was putting Band-Aids on his fingers (some blisters had started to pop up). Tails was across from him, resting his head on the table. Lance was beside him, staring straight ahead.

"We've got some month-old ice cream back here that might still be good," Katie reported. "Any takers?'

"What flavors we got?" Tails asked, sitting up.

"Let me go look and see," Katie said, heading into the back. A moment later, she came back. "We've got cherry, chocolate, mint chocolate chip, and blueberry. The cherry has chunks of cherries in it, and the mint chocolate chip has little chunks of chocolate mints in it. Nothing special in the other ones."

"I'll take the blueberry," Graham said, finishing his finger-wrapping.

"Nothing for me," Amy said.

"You sure?" Katie asked.

"Yeah," Amy said, getting up. "I want to make a couple of phone calls."

"Alright, suit yourself," Katie said.

"I hungry," Lance said, not even paying attention to what was being said around him.

"I guess I'll try that mint chocolate chip stuff," Tails said.

"Okay, guess that leaves Lance with the cherry flavor," Katie said. "I always hated those 'oddball' flavors, so I'm getting the chocolate." Amy stood up and stretched.

"Let me know when we re-open," she said. "I won't be paying attention to the time."

"Okay," Graham said, secretly planning not to tell her so she'd be able to just sit and do nothing for a while.

"Enjoy," Amy said, heading toward the back. In her office, she closed the door and headed for her chair, sighing as she threw herself down into it. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with her left hand, letting her head fall back. She rested in this position for a few minutes before reaching for her phone. The first number she dialed was Sonic's: she intended to leave him a message, perhaps to see if he wanted to go out again in the next couple of days. What she didn't expect was...

"Hello," Sonic answered after the third ring.

"Hi Sonic, it's Amy," Amy greeted. "Didn't expect you to be home."

"Didn't feel like running today," Sonic said. "Feeling a little under the weather."

"Oh," Amy said, lacking anything better to say. "What's wrong, just one of those days where you'd prefer not to get up?"

"Summer cold, I think," Sonic said. "I've been staying inside this weekend. I'm hoping to get over it soon." He sniffed loudly, trying to pass it off as a 'sick' sniffle. Amy wasn't fooled, but she didn't say anything; if Sonic was up to something, that was his business. After all, there was no way he could have TWO girlfriends, right?

"You really ought to be in bed if it's a cold," Amy advised.

"Too hot," Sonic said. "The air conditioning around here just plain sucks. You want heat, best way to get it is to turn on the air. Kind of the same way that crazy shower of yours works."

"I still need to get that fixed," Amy said. "I think I'm going to switch the knobs so that they're at least labeled right."

"How many people do you think actually read those?" Sonic asked jokingly.

"That's a fairly good point," Amy said thoughtfully. Who WOULD read them? The only person who would use it enough to matter was herself, and she already knew of the defect.

"Anyway, what are you doing right now?" Sonic asked, cutting into her thoughts.

"Nothing," Amy said. She quickly added, "Thank God. I'm as tired as always, and we didn't even have as much to do today. But enough about that. I was wondering if you would mind going out again in the next couple of days. I know you're not feeling too great right now, but I thought we could maybe plan ahead."

"Sounds good," Sonic said. He coughed a few times, still faking a cold. "Soon asmy healthstarts shaping up a little, anyway."

"Okay!" Amy said cheerfully. "I hate to cut you off, but I've got another call I've got to make. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright, later," Sonic said. He and Amy hung up at the same time.

"Well, at least I have something to look forward to," Amy said to herself. "Wonder why he's faking that cold, though. He didn't sound even the least bit congested. Well, I'll just coax it out of him when I see him. Shouldn't be too hard to do." She picked the phone back up and dialed Vector's number. The phone rang five times and the answering machine picked it up.

"Thank you for calling Chaotix Detective Agency," the recording said in Vector's voice. "Office hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please leave your name and a number where you can be reached, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible." The machine beeped.

"Vector, it's Amy," Amy said. "Listen, I need you to call me as soon as you get this message. You know my number. It's about that thing we talked about last time I called." She hung up, then leaned back again and said to herself, "Not a lot of businesses I know of have answering machines. Well, it's not completely weird for them to have a machine like that, I suppose. They must spend a lot of time out of the office when clients come in. I wonder what they're doing right now..."

* * *

'YOU LIKE TO BEAT WOMEN?" Vector thundered, holding in one hand a dirty man, raised off the ground, held by his shirt. Several feet away, a woman lay on the ground, one hand pressed to her face; the man had been dumb enough to strike her in public. Vector suspected he was drunk, but that didn't mean he was getting off light. "DON'T-EVER-HIT-HER-AGAIN! HEAR ME? HEAR ME? HUH? HUH?" With each word, Vector smacked the man across the face with his free arm using both sides of his hand. Finally, on the last word, he let go and the man landed in a heap at Vector's feet.

* * *

Amy leaned back and sighed again, closing her eyes. She began to slowly drift off to sleep. She made no effort to stay awake, either. She was so comfortable... and tired... Maybe a nap would help... just a short one... a short one...a few minutes...She jumped. She'd been startled by a loud bang outside her door.

"Lance, you did it again!" Katie was saying in a rather loud voice, almost yelling. "No wonder we spend so much on flour around here!" Amy sighed, then got up to go see to the mess, also wondering why Lance always chose to drop things outside her door. She suspected it was because he didn't know the difference between flour and flowers, and thought she might appreciate the "gift".

* * *

Well, I'll say this for myself: I didn't take AS long... did I? Anyway, I know what you're probably thinking. "Why IS Sonic faking a cold? And why so poorly?" You'll see, I promise you that. One thing, too... I'm going to graduate high school in sixteen days from the time this is uploaded(that is, on May 26), and I'm going out of state to visit my dad. It might be a little while before the next chapter is uploaded, depending on whether or not I can access a computer while I'm away. So, if I don't get another chapter uploaded before I leave, I hope you enjoy this one enough to last a little while.


	48. Discovered

**CHAPTER 48: Discovered**

"Where is that key?" Shadow thought aloud, scanning the area around him. The time was twenty past twelve, and the night sky was brightly lit by stars and the full moon. Shadow was standing in an open field, looking about for the glint of gold given off by that which he sought. "It's got to be around here somewhere. They've never moved in the past." He walked around the field, keeping his eyes open, watching for any hint that the key was in the area. He finally stumbled upon it after perhaps two minutes as it rose out of the ground in a pillar of light: he almost completely fell over, in fact. Had he not managed to completely flip over in the air and land on his feet, he would have found himself sniffing dirt.

"Well, think it's safe to say I found it," he said, turning and picking up the key. It was about a foot long, made of pure gold, and had two large teeth at the end. "Weird, though... Maybe I should wait a while, and come back to this one..." He looked up and around, then shook his head. "Nah. Even if my hunch is right, I have an excuse." He skated off toward a hill not far away, yet still not in sight.

* * *

"Okay, let's see if my plan works," Shadow said to himself. He threw the key into the air, into the middle of a large golden ring suspended in midair. A large, black keyhole in the middle of the ring vanished, as did they key, and Shadow leapt through. He was instantly transported to the round, yellow arena in which he had met his previous defeat. From memory, he jumped up, avoiding an assault by dozens of blobs of energy. He landed several yards away from his original position, then turned to look at the blobs.

"Holy God," the black hedgehog muttered, seeing the sheer number of assailants. "There's even more of them this time." A large crash redirected Shadow's attention to his rear: the giant hammer-wielding robot from before had just landed. Shadow turned back to the blobs and whistled loudly, yelling, "Come on and get me you rainbow-colored pieces of cow shit!" He then turned and skated toward the robot. It saw him coming, and prepared to smash him into the ground as before. This time, though, Shadow was ready; he dove to the side and rolled away, leaping back to his feet as soon as he was in an upright and crouched position. He quickly changed his direction, heading back for the robot. By this time it had extracted its hammer from the ground, and was pulling back for what appeared to be a sideways strike. However, as Shadow slowed to watch what it did, the robot caught him completely off guard: it threw its hammer at him, sending it spinning toward him, the handle flying in a counterclockwise direction. Shadow just managed to jump onto the side of the hammer's head before he was hit, and as he jumped off, he was reminded that this wasn't a run-of-the-mill robot: it was smarter, stronger, and faster than the variety its design was based on. Shadow took these facts into account before he decided to try a very risky move. He jumped at the robot, spinning in the air. He uncurled and landed in a crouch on the robot's head. He waited perhaps a second before he jumped straight up, as high as he could. He rose perhaps ten feet before gravity began to pull him back downward. He landed on the robot once more as its handcompleted a secondsweep of its head. He jumped off this time, behind the robot. The blobs of energy had nearly caught up with him by this point, and a few had leapt toward Shadow's last position. They touched the robot's head and torso and exploded, taking off the robot's top half.

"YES!" Shadow yelled before a white hole opened in the ground below him. He fell into it, and landed hard on the ground in the middle of the field in which he had found the goldenkey. He sat up and shook his head, then said to himself, "Okay, that was just strange. Wonder what I did wrong."

"Thought it was all for fun," Sonic's voice said, coming from behind Shadow, who jumped to his feet with a start. He turned to face Sonic, who was holding the yellow Emerald in his left hand. He was staring at Shadow accusingly. "And I also thought you were only trying once."

"I had another idea, and I had to know if it would work," Shadow retorted. "It apparently didn't."

"I noticed," Sonic said."It was a real clever trick. I just got lucky enough to stumble upon the answer."

"What was the answer?" Shadow asked.

"You know the huge hammer bot?" Sonic asked. "It had what I think wasa spring concealed inside the head of the hammer. I faked it out, then I jumped onto the hammer head to get a little extra height to get over the blobs. I got shot over 100 feet into the air, and I passed the Emerald on the way up. I just got it on the way down."

"Wow, that IS clever," Shadow said in awe. "But I jumped onto the hammer's head too, when the robot threw it at me. How come I wasn't thrown into the air?"

"The hammer was embedded in the ground when I jumped on it," Sonic said. "The spring was firmly planted in the ground. That would have been more likely to propel you upward than if the thing was in the air."

"That, and now that I think about it, I jumped on the SIDE of the hammer," Shadow said, rubbing his chin.

"That could possibly be it too," Sonic said.

"Well, doesn't matter now," Shadow said. "Don't suppose you'd consider letting me have that, would you?" He pointed to the Emerald.

"Nope," Sonic said, tossing it up into the air. He caught it again before saying, "I won it fair and square, so I'm keeping it. Unless you want to race for it."

"Name the time and place," Shadow said, grinning widely; a race sounded good to him.

"Back here at three in the afternoon, day after tomorrow," Sonic said. "That should give me some time to enjoy my prize before it goes up for grabs again."

"Enjoy it how, pray tell?" Shadow asked.

"Enjoy the satisfaction of having it, of course," Sonic said. "I'll see you back here when you're ready." He ran past Shadow at this point, heading back toward Station Square.

"Damn it!" Shadow exclaimed once Sonic was out of earshot, which was rather quickly. "Better consult Dave on this one. Think Sonic's starting to realize I'm not just playing some silly game."

* * *

Yes, this chapter was shorter. Yes, it was quicker than the last one. Yes, that's a good thing. Yes, Shadow might be in a little bit of trouble. I hope you enjoyed; I know I did. I was eating chocolate the whole time I was typing it out. Mmm, chocolate...

Oh, one more thing: this chapter has two other parts, which I'm going to upload separately, making a grand total of 3 out of 1. I do this because I wanted to get at least part of it up before I go see my dad. So, don't think this is it for this chapter, not just yet.


	49. Input! More Input!

**Chapter 49: Input! More Input!**

"Something doesn't add up," Sonic said to himself, stowing the Emerald under his bed. The gem's glow illuminated the floor of the entire bedroom, which disturbed the occupant. He said to himself, "I won't be able to sleep with that..." He knelt down once again, pulled the gem back out, set it on the bed, then walked to the closet. "Hope I still have that... There it is." He reached up and pulled down a thin blanket; thin, but still sufficient to block the light. He returned to the bed, unfolding the blanket. He wrapped it around the Emerald, then stuffed it back under the bed before he climbed into it.

_Need to go talk to Rouge tomorrow,_ he thought as he lay his head on the pillow, facing the wall on his right. _Or, later... Whatever. Sometime in the next twelve hours.

* * *

_

Knock knock knock. Rouge groaned and flicked her left ear. Knock knock knock. She groaned once more, then stretched. Knock knock knock. Her eyes slid open slowly, and she sat up blinking. She called, "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" She lifted herself off the couch, where she had fallen asleep the previous night, and strode over to the door. After opening the deadbolt, she turned the knob and pulled open the door. No one was there.

_Damned kids,_ Rouge thought, simultaneously thinking up a new recipe for dead child. She closed the door rather harder than was necessary and turned around. She took two steps before someone knocked again. This time she turned around, grabbed the doorknob, and yanked the door open, hoping to catch the one who did it. There stood Sonic, his hands behind his back, showing no sign of running away.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Rouge said. "Sonic, you didn't happen to see who just did that knock-and-run on me, did you?"

"That was me," Sonic said, grinning.

"And... why would you do that?" Rouge demanded. "And what do you have behind your back?"

"Well, first," Sonic said, "I did that because... well, I've just always wanted to. As for this..." He produced from behind his back an object covered in a blanket. "I'd like not to unwrap this out here."

"Okay," Rouge said, puzzled. She stepped aside, allowing Sonic to pass. Once he was inside, she closed the door and headed toward the couch, Sonic following.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting down. "You don't look too good."

"I'm fine," Rouge said. "You just woke me up, is all." She yawned widely and shook her head, her neck popping at the same time.

"Why'd you sleep in here?" Sonic asked.

"No real reason," Rouge said. "Couldn't sleep in my room last night for some odd reason, so I came and passed out on the couch. It happens occasionally. Nothing big."

"You don't sleep with a blanket?" Sonic asked.

"Not always," Rouge said. "Warm night last night. But anyway, enough about me. What's with the blanket?" She pointed to the object Sonic was holding.

"Oh yeah, nearly forgot," Sonic said. He unwrapped the object, and Rouge gasped, her eyes going wide. The bright yellow glow of the Emerald served to enhance the shine in her eyes.

"Wow!" she breathed excitedly.

"See why I didn't want to unwrap it outside?" Sonic asked with a grin, very amused at Rouge's face. She nodded slowly. "I figured you'd like to hang on to this," Sonic continued. "Until it 'officially' becomes mine."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Rouge said. At this point, she was overcoming her initial amazement at having one of the most sought-after gemstones in existence right in front of her.

"It's Shadow," Sonic said. "He claims that he's been bored and decided he'd try and gather as many of the Emeralds as he could get in one try. I found him one night, nearly dead. Said he'd been smashed by a giant hammer, and he evidently only just survived."

"Is he okay?" Rouge demanded, suddenly totally alert, the Emerald out of her mind as the thought of Shadow hurt pushed itself into her head.

"He's okay now," Sonic said quickly, surprised that Rouge would react in such a fashion.

"Are you sure?" Rouge demanded.

"Yes, I'm positive!" Sonic exclaimed, almost yelling.

"Okay," Rouge said, calming down.

"Anyway, I deliberately screwed up my sleeping pattern so I'd be awake at night and asleep most of the day," Sonic said. "Only took me a day or so. I've been watching his place at night since then, and last night he headed out again. I followed him, and he headed out to an area near where I found him. He went in after the same Emerald, and he blew it again. I confronted him and produced the Emerald. I told him there must have been more to the story if he went back to try the same Emerald again, but he said he'd had a plan he wanted to try, just to see if it worked. Then he asked if he could have the Emerald. I said no, but I challenged him to race for it. It goes up for grabs tomorrow, 3 o'clock. I figured you'd like to hang onto it until then, since I'm sure you've probably had dreams about having these."

"Yeah, I have," Rouge said. "But, I have a question. Your story was interesting, but you neglected to tell when you got the Emerald."

"Yesterday afternoon," Sonic said. "I wanted to see what it was that nearly killed Shadow. You remember, back when Metal Sonic tried to kill us all by transforming into that huge monster thing, he used those giant robots with the hammers? The ones that had that heavy armor, spinning hammer attacks, and some of them helmets?"

"One of those?" Rouge asked. Sonic nodded.

"He destroyed it and screwed the whole thing up," Sonic said. "There were little blobs of energy chasing me while I was in there, and I guess he lured some of them into the robot and fried it. I don't know who or what makes this stuff up, but it's good at its job. Too good. It was totally by accident that I got the Emerald. But, one good thing came of it all: I was dodging those things so long, I tired myself out enough to actually sleep last night."

"I see," Rouge said. "But, I can't help thinking... There's something you're not telling me. Like there's more to the story than meets the eye."

"You're sharp," Sonic said. "Before I tell you this, I want you to understand something. I'm not trying to push you into something you don't want to do."

"You want me to consider this whole thing whenever I think about whether to call the agency and say I'm in," Rouge said.

"Yes, that's right," Sonic said. "I mean, think about it. Whoever the asshole is who tried to whack us, they're smart. They've got resources. They know us. They know we've used the Emeralds in the past to defeat Eggman. They might have somehow tricked Shadow into gathering the Emeralds to keep us from getting them, to keep us from resorting to our old standby of letting me go super and going Old Testament on them."

"If they have even one Emerald, they've got the job done," Rouge said.

"Yeah," Sonic said. "True. But, they may want the other six for some reason. If they want Shadow to get all the Emeralds for them, that could be our lucky break. If we can somehow watch Shadow without him realizing it, maybe someone will contact him."

"And we can follow them back to whoever their leader is!" Rouge said, finishing Sonic's statement.

"Exactly," Sonic said.

"I'll bear all this in mind," Rouge said, "but there's one thing. If this guy is that smart, he may not contact Shadow again for a while. He'll probably know that you're onto Shadow."

"True," Sonic said. "That should give you some time to think about this. If we're lucky, we'll be able to figure something else out without having to resort to that."

"Yeah," Rouge said. "There's really not too much to think about, but you have to understand, this is no small thing. It's something that needs to be dwelt on for a while."

"Take as long as you need," Sonic said. "I just hope no one else dies or is injured within that time." Rouge sighed and shook her head, then sat silent for a moment, head hanging, deep in thought. Finally, after perhaps two minutes, in which Sonic gave her the silence she needed, she spoke.

"You're right," she said. "Tell you what. I want you to help me on this one."

"How?" Sonic asked, puzzled: this was Rouge's decision, not his, so what role could he possibly play in making it?

"Don't spend all your time on this or anything, but kind of keep an eye on Shadow for me, would you?" Rouge requested. "If someone contacts him within a month, I'll go back to the agency. If not... We'll get to that later."

"You got it," Sonic said. Rouge looked at her watch.

"I need to get a shower," she said, standing up.

"Okay," Sonic said, standing up. He stretched for several seconds before he turned and headed toward the door. "You can hold onto the blanket, just in case. If I lose, and that's a pretty big if, I'll take it back with the Emerald wrapped in it."

"You got it," Rouge said. "Do me a favor, and don't lose, okay?"

"You got it," Sonic said, pulling the door open. "See you later."

* * *

I'm so sorry, everyone. I took much longer with this chapter than I'd expected. I still haven't figured out how, but I lost the file the first time I typed it out, so I never got to upload it. Well, for better or worse, I suppose, since there was a discrepancy that I didn't catch until the second copy of the file(I forgot to include the part where Sonic explained when he got the Emerald). Hope you like it, I'm sorry I took so long with it, I'm going to kick my own ass if I do that again with the next chapter. Enjoy.

Oh, and one more thing... About that line where Rouge thinks up "a new recipe for dead child"... That doesn't mean she thought cannibalistic thoughts. Just means she was thinking up new ways to kill the kid she thought was screwing with her.


	50. Talk to You later

**Chapter 50: Talk to You Later**

_Well, guess I'm going to have to figure out some way to make sure I win,_ Shadow thought as he sat up in his bed. _I know how I could do it, if I can just get in touch with Dave before the race. Figure if I can get one of the Emeralds back from him, I can hide it along the race course, fall behind Sonic, freeze time with Chaos Control, and get the jump on him before everything starts flowing again. I doubt if he'd ever know what happened._ For the sixth time, Shadow lay back again, staring up at the ceiling; he'd been in bed since he'd gotten home, and he had not slept at all. After he stared for several seconds, he rolled over on his side, leaned over the side of the bed, reached one arm up under it, and extracted a sheet of paper: the Missing Person poster that he'd found on the street. Salia's face stared out at his, and he read over the text, not taking any of it in.

"Where are you?" he wondered aloud. "Who IS your 'employer'? Whoever it is, he'd better hope I don't find him... This poster has got to be a couple years old. You're not doing this shit of your own free will. Something's not right here, god damn it, and I'm going to find out what it is, one way or another." Sighing, he leaned over and slid the poster back under the bed. "Somehow, I'm starting to think I'm being played. But, that's fine. Got a little idea of my own." He turned and looked out the window at the morning sky; the sun had not appeared over the horizon, but the sky was beginning to light up.

_Now, let's see here,_ he thought. _I'm probably being played, as I said. ...And I need to stop talking to myself. But anyway, this is what I do. When this whole thing's over, I go in, acting like I don't think anything's up. I snoop around, I found out what the hell's going on... If I'm lucky, I'll be able to leave quietly, and no one will look twice at me. But that's a big if. If there's a hitch in the plan... I'll think of something when I get there. I'll have all the Emeralds right there nearby, so getting my hands on one and using Chaos Control should be easy as anything. I could teleport out, or just wreak havoc, if need be._ Laughing to himself, he closed his eyes and made yet another attempt to sleep. At last, after nearly a half hour of tossing and turning, he dozed off.

* * *

He could feel it. That feeling in his spine. That subtle yet unsettling feeling. That feeling that he was being watched. Not just watched; someone was staring. Shadow knew what was up, even without opening his eyes.

"You ever hear of breaking and entering?" he asked.

"Is it still B&E if nothing gets broken?" Dave's voice replied, amused.

"How long you been standing there?" Shadow asked.

"Ten minutes, maybe," Dave said. "You're real cute when you're asleep, you know."

"Yeah, whatever," Shadow said. "Seriously, stop just coming in whenever you feel like it."

"Well that spoils the fun," Dave said. "But fine, I'll knock first from now on."

"I'm assuming, of course, that you'll wait until I say so before you come in," Shadow said.

"Yeah, yeah," Dave said. "Don't feel much like getting up, huh?"

"Not really," Shadow said. "I'm listening, though."

"I just came by to check and see if you got anything for me," Dave said. "How goes the scavenger hunt?"

"Got a little hitch in the plan," Shadow said. "One of my friends got his hands on one of the Emeralds. We're having a little contest tomorrow, and the Emerald is the prize."

"Damn it," Dave said. "They're onto you."

"Now look, Dave," Shadow said, "I need you to help me on this. Can you get me one of the other Emeralds before three tomorrow?"

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises," Dave said.

"I can't really see why I'm not even allowed to tell my friends anything," Shadow said. "I understand your whole security concern, but really, I doubt any of them would try to steal anything. I trust them."

"Well, you can trust them all you want," Dave said. "It's my employer who calls the shots."

"Who IS your employer, anyway?" Shadow asked. "It's awkward just calling him your employer all the time. Names are easier to use, you know."

"That's getting into the realm of things I'm not permitted to say," Dave said, his voice suddenly more firm than before.

"Somehow, I expected you to say that," Shadow said. "How's Salia doing?"

"Fine," Dave said, grinning, even though he knew that Shadow couldn't see it. "Got a little thing for her now, do you?"

"You could say that," Shadow said, half-grinning. "Is that so wrong?"

"No," Dave said. "I'll tell her you were asking about her, how's that?"

"Fine with me," Shadow said.

"Well, I better get out of here," Dave said. "See if I can't get one of the Emeralds back for you. But, win or lose, it may be a while before I or anyone else contacts you again."

"Want a cup of coffee or something before you go?" Shadow asked.

"No, thank you," Dave said. "I had one on the way here."

"Okay," Shadow said. "See you."

"Later," Dave said, turning around. As he reached for the doorknob, Shadow opened his eyes and sat up.

"I still say this whole thing makes me feel like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing," he said. "The meeting in secret backs up that feeling, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Dave said unconvincingly. He opened the door and left Shadow to his thoughts.

_What were you REALLY thinking, Dave?_ was Shadow's only thought.

* * *

Yes indeed, what WAS he really thinking? Anybody wanna take a guess? No? Ah, don't worry, just like any other story I can think of, you'll find out. and this concludes the big 3-in-1 chapter.

Oh, and another thing. Shadow's part of the big chapter occurred at the same time as Sonic's, in case you didn't guess. The next chapter starts at about the same time. I normally don't do this, but just one time, I'm going to tell you something about the next one: If you like fight scenes, I think you're gonna love it, heh heh heh.

THIS got added at the very last minute: Wow, 50 chapters already... Most stories don't get that long, do they?


	51. Back to School

**CHAPTER 51: Back to School**

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep click. As he slid his arm off of his alarm radio, Tails groaned and turned his head on his pillow. Even though he knew what time it was, he looked at the clock face, where the numbers 6:00 glowed bright red. He stretched as hard as he could for several seconds before he sat up. He threw his blanket off to his right, twitching his tails irritably, the tips hanging over the foot of the bed.

"And once again," he said, climbing off the mattress and dragging himself toward the bathroom, "my evil plot to get a decent night's sleep is foiled. I swear to God, I'll be so fricking happy when I graduate..." In the bathroom, the first thing he did was take some time out to empty his bladder, which felt to him as though someone had replaced it with a water balloon. Afterwards, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth. As he ran the toothbrush across his front teeth, he felt his stomach rumble.

_Breakfast or a shower,_ he thought. _Can't have it both ways. I always spend too much time on either one to get them both done. I wish my bus would come a little later in the morning. That way I could have time to do them both. And now I have another concern, too: what to wear._ He took some time out to finish brushing and rinse before he gave anything else another thought. _Guess I'll have breakfast. I had a shower last night, so I should be good to go. After that, maybe I should go wake Sonic up and tell him not to go anywhere today... If the dumbasses at school are still playing their stupid little game, I'm probably going to be leaving school in the back of a squad car... unless I get busted up badly enough to warrant an ambulance. Fat chance, though. I stomped a mudhole in Knuckles, so I shouldn't have too much trouble with these jerks._ As he thought, Tails was pulling clothes out of his closet and pulling them on. His attire included a white T-shirt, gray pants, socks, and of course shoes. As he slipped his shoes on, he had one more thought; this one disturbed him somewhat.

"If they even let me into the school," he said, thinking aloud. "Mr. Holland might read that letter and decide not to let me return to school until the problem is corrected... if it ever is... Guess there's nothing I can do except give him the letter and see what he says. I suppose if worst comes to worst, I can go for a G.E.D. or something." Picking up his bookbag, he walked out into his living room, where he'd left the letter from the hospital the previous night. He picked it up and slipped it into the red bag, placing it between his orange math book and his green science book. "Well, now that I think about it, maybe that would be the better route to go. Less hazardous to my health, if nothing else." As he chuckled to himself, the fox stepped into his kitchen and opened a cabinet. He pulled out a box of Cheerios and opened it, but when he unfolded the plastic bag inside, two moths flew out of the box and around the room.

_God damn it,_ he thought. _I can NEVER catch a break, can I? Guess I'm buying extra at lunch today. And I was hoping, just ONE TIME, that I could walk into school not hungry... God, why do you HATE me? Did I do something wrong in a previous life or something?_ Irritated, he threw the box into the garbage can beside the refrigerator. Afterward, he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic package containing sliced chicken and a bottle of ketchup. He set these down on the counter to his left and reached for another plastic bag, this one containing a loaf of whitewheat bread. Half of the bag was folded underneath the bread, sealing it shut instead of the traditional twist tie. He opened it and pulled out two slices of the bread, then folded the bag once more and replaced it. He opened the ziplock chicken container and removed several slices, the combined thickness of which was roughly half an inch. After placing these on one slice of bread, he picked up the ketchup bottle and shook it, then he opened the lid and squeezed the red substance out onto the incomplete sandwich. As he stuck the two pieces of bread together with the chicken in the middle, he closed the ketchup bottle and the chicken container before throwing them both back into the refrigerator. He closed the door as he left the kitchen with his favorite sandwich.

"Chicken and ketchup," he said to himself. "Breakfast of champions. Of what, I'm not sure if I want to know."

* * *

"I still find all this very difficult to believe, son," Mr. Holland said, hanging up his phone for the third time. "The letter's official, signed by two medical doctors; I've spoken to both doctors, one of them twice, and they're both telling me the same thing... I'm not sure what to do."

"With all due respect, sir, I didn't think you would be," Tails said, rubbing his forehead with his left hand. "I wasn't even sure myself whether I should take a chance coming back to school, or just stay at home until I was sure everything was okay."

"This is a very unique, very difficult situation," Mr. Holland said, glancing at his computer screen as he thought. "I don't have forever to think about this, so this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to allow you to go to your classes as normal for the time being, and I'm going to file a report with the Board of Education. They will make the final decision. It'll take some time, so depending on your behavior during that time, you may graduate with honors, or you may not graduate from this school at all. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Tails said in a dull tone, nodding gravely; he was quite certain that he would not exactly be graduating with honors unless the school's policy against violence had toughenedenough to deter bullieswithin the span of five days.

"Is there a problem?" Mr. Holland asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"You have no idea," Tails said. "I heard a rumor that the guys in my grade were going to be having a little fun with me every day of the year. Literally, every day. Every day since then, I've had someone trying to beat the living crap out of me in bathrooms, in the halls, and even in class when the teachers turn their backs."

"Care to name some names?" Mr. Holland asked, bringing his hands together in front of him and leaning on his arms.

"Only name I know right now is a guy in my history class named Clyde," Tails said. "Not sure of a last name. There were three other guys in gym class too, but I can only describe them."

"Please do," Mr. Holland said. "If they're the guys I'm thinking of, they'd better be able to prove they didn't do anything, otherwise they'll have a nice long suspension coming to them. Possibly an expulsion."

"Sheesh," Tails said, amazed. "Sounds like they make a habit of this with other people too. Anyway, they were all big guys with red fur-"

"Figures," Mr. Holland cut in, hanging and shaking his head . "I knew it. Those three call their little pack the Bloodcats. The red fur might have something to do with it. They have a very long list of bullying reports, and I've suspected for two years that they tagged the restrooms after school one night." He pointed with his thumb to three filing cabinets right behind him. "In these cabinets, I keep records of students' deviant behavior. I keep major and severe violations on file until they graduate, quit, or whatever. As for minor and intermediate ones, I only keep them until the end of the year. Those three kids put together have an entire drawer to themselves."

"Wow," Tails stammered, completely at a loss for words. Several open-mouthed seconds later he added, "That's crazy..."

"So, care to tell me how they added you to their long list of casualties?" Mr. Holland asked.

"They creamed me on the football field," Tails said. "Knocked me out in the process. They covered it up by dragging me into a game of tackle football that I really preferred to stay out of. I just remember getting hit really hard in the back, and I think I hit my head when I hit the ground. I just know I woke up in the nurse's office with the worst headache I'd ever had, second only to the ones I've been having the last few days."

"I see," Mr. Holland said. "I'll look into that. In the meantime, you just remember what I told you about your own behavior, okay?"

"Yes sir," Tails said. "Do you know how long it'll take the Board to make a decision?"

"Depends on how long they spend debating," Mr. Holland said. He pulled out a pad of Post-It notes and began to write on the top one. "Take this to Mrs. Kilgore and she'll give you your excuse slip. Give her the letter too. I want each of your teachers to read it." He tore it off and handed it, along with to Tails, who took it and left the office.

* * *

"Step outside with me for just one second," Shaw told Tails upon reading the letter. He stood up and walked out of the room, still holding the letter, followed by Tails, who closed the door.

"Hard to believe, I know," the fox said.

"Tails, is this thing for real?" Shaw asked, holding up the letter. When Tails nodded, he looked at the letter, pretending to read it again while he considered what he'd just learned from it.

"I wish it were fake," Tails said. "I'd like to wake up and find out the whole thing was just one crazy dream, but..." He finished his sentence in his mind: _But, wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which onefills up first..._

"Well, there's really nothing we can do except for business as usual," Shaw said after several seconds. "Just let me know if someone bothers you and I'll see to it that they pay."

"Sounds good," Tails said.

"I'll give your note back at the end of class," Shaw said. "We've got a lot to cover today."

"Sounds like a load of fun," Tails said. He opened the door and headed back into the room, followed by Shaw. As he sat down, Tails felt something hit his ear, and he immediately knew what it was.

"Hey Miles, where've you been?" Clyde hissed into his ear; the sound of over half the class talking prevented Shaw from overhearing.

"Clyde, I will say this just one time," Tails growled quietly. "You'll leave me the hell alone if you know what's good for you."

"It's not my turn today," Clyde whispered, amused. "My turn's next week. You're not planning to ditch on me, are you?"

"Shut up," Tails growled, balling his hands into fists so tightly that his knuckles popped.

"Alright guys, everyone get quiet," Shaw called to the class, silencing everyone in the room. "We've got a lot to cover today, so we need to get this show on the road."

* * *

"Much better," Tails said to himself as he dried his hands on a paper towel. As he turned to exit the restroom and go to lunch, he was blocked by Clyde, who was coming in the door.

"Well well, if it isn't-" he began with a sneer, but Tails cut him off.

"Shut UP Clyde!" he snapped.

"Now that hurts, Miles," Clyde said, faking emotional turmoil. "I'll move if you apologize, how's that?"

"I'll apologize if you eat shit," Tails said, growing hot. His vision was beginning to blur for reasons he couldn't deduce.

"Wouldn't do anything you wouldn't do," Clyde said. He pretended to think for a half second before he pushed the door shut, locked it, and took a step toward Tails.

"Let me guess," Tails growled. "You'd like to make it happen."

"No, I just feel like cutting to the chase," Clyde said. He drew back his left arm and threw a very low uppercut at Tails, who was hit in the stomach. He was barely affected; he grunted loudly on impact, then he yelled loudly. He charged at Clyde and slammed into him, tackling him against the wall behind him. Clyde was surprised by the power with which Tails slammed into him, and he appeared to be stunned when he hit the wall. Tails hit Clyde in the groin with his left knee, then punched him in the side of the head with his right fist. Panting heavily, his aggressor seemingly disoriented, the fox stepped back several steps and shook his head several times, regaining himself.

_It's starting,_ he thought. _I better get out of here before I lose it again._ He headed quickly for the door, but as he found out, Clyde hadn't been knocked quite as senseless as it appeared; he leapt to his feet and rammed Tails into the wall to the right of the door. Tails slammed into it face-first and groaned, truly disoriented, unlike Clyde, who had faked it and waited for a chance to strike back. He threw his right arm around Tails's neck and tightened his hold, using his left to push Tails's head forward so that he couldn't break out of the sleeper. Tails, coming back to his senses, lost it at this point. He pushed against the wall as hard as he could, then threw up his right arm and jammed his elbow into Clyde's gut. He did this twice more, and Clyde was forced to let go. Tails reached one arm around behind him and hooked it around Clyde's neck, pulling his head down. His adversary's head locked at his side, Tails mercilessly punched Clyde in the face seven times, each punch harder than the last. Finally, he released Clyde, threw his arm up, and slammed his elbow into the base of Clyde's skull, knocking him flat on the floor. Tails turned him over onto his back with one foot and looked him over. His face was banged up and his nose was bleeding profusely, and he looked only half-conscious. Tails turned to leave the bathroom, but he stopped in the middle of his turn, held back by a feeling that he wasn't quite finished yet. He reached down and grabbed the front of Clyde's shirt with his left hand, lifting his head off the floor about six inches.

"Things have changed, Clyde," the fox snarled. "You'd be doing yourself a favor by remembering that." He balled his right hand into a fist and gave Clyde one last hook in the jaw, then he straightened up, turned around, unlocked the door, and left the bathroom.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Sonic asked. School was out for the day, and as Tails had come home, Sonic had looked out his window and noticed that the fox had blood on his face. He'd met Tails outside, and had a feeling of dread as to what he was fixing to hear.

"Yeah," Tails said, his voice devoid of energy. "I just had a bit of a bad day... as usual."

"I noticed," Sonic said. "You get into a fight?"

"Yeah," Tails replied. "I got slammed into a wall and my nose broken, and I'll probably have a bruise on my stomach. Other than that, the only thing wrong with me is an aching hand and I'm tired."

"Weren't people asking about your face?" Sonic asked.

"Told them I had a nosebleed," Tails said. "Didn't say anything beyond that, so I didn't technically lie. I'll tell you one thing, though. Since I caught that bug, my body must be making its own steroids or something. I can't recall being able to hit someone as hard as I did today."

"Does anyone else know about all this?" Sonic asked. "The fight, I mean." Tails burst out laughing at this point. Slightly confused, Sonic asked, "Did I miss something or was it funny?"

"The guy I stomped today would never admit what happened," Tails said, his laughter ceasing. "He'd look like a pussy if anyone knew he got creamed by a guy half his size. No one knows who did it, and I doubt anyone will. There'll be rumors, though. There always are." Sonic nodded in agreement.

"You sure you're okay, though?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tails said. "I just need a hot shower. I feel like crap."

"Okay," Sonic said. "I'll see you later, then."

"Later," Tails said. He opened his front door and stepped inside as Sonic headed back to his apartment.

* * *

Finally got this thing updated... I spent an hour and a half typing this thing up in one night, and then all of a sudden I lose Internet access and getting it back has been like trying to putt a golf ball up a flight of stairs. Frickin' mad, man... Anyway, hope you enjoyed the fight. By my estimates, on TV it would've lasted about as long as one of the infamous elevator fight scenes in action movies... About 10 seconds. Short but sweet, I guess. 


	52. Bide Our Time

**CHAPTER 52: Bide Our Time**

"Do it," Skull said after a moment's consideration.

"Yes, Master," Blank said. He was kneeling behind his master's chair, as always. He had just informed Skull of the request Shadow had made, and was also the "lucky" soul who informed his master of any new developments, good or bad. "I still have been unable to locate Black, as well. I believe him to be off the grid."

"If he's located, bring him to me," Skull growled. "If he's been deactivated, reactivate him, then bring him to me."

"Yes, Master," Blank said. "Have you arrived at a solution to our energy problem?"

"Not yet," Skull said. "I haven't been thinking about it very extensively. I think we can operate off of targeted brownouts, and gas- and battery-operated equipment until I can think of a solution. If worst comes to worst, we can just help ourselves to someone else's power."

"Yes, of course," Blank said.

"I've noticed the slaves are beginning to slack off," Skull said. "What is the problem this time?"

"Poor health, we believe," Blank said. "Master, I'd like to make a suggestion that may seem ridiculous, and outright contradictory to your plan."

"Go ahead," Skull said.

"Perhaps we should shut down the lines, give the slaves some time away from work, and bide our time," Blank said.

"I was considering that, actually," Skull said. "That would enable us to conserve our resources until we're ready to move ahead with the beginning phases of the main operation. Speaking of which, how is the hack job coming along?"

"We're proceeding about as smoothly as one could expect," Blank said. "We're still trying every password possible to gain access to the servers. Once we do that, we can upload the viruses, eliminate most of the safeguards, and take care of business."

"Excellent," Skull said with a dry laugh. "Simply astounding. Someone keeps trying and failing to gain access to the servers, and they ignore it. They don't log the unsuccessful access attempts, leaving anyone and everyone wide open to try and find the password."

"I find it amazing myself," Blank said. "Although, I have to say, it would be much easier if we had in our possession skill software for the ability to hack computers."

"There's probably a hacker among the slaves," Skull said. "But I trust them about as far as they can throw you. How long can we expect to wait?"

"I haven't a clue," Blank said. "I've observed the password elimination process. The server's password entry field will not accept more than five characters, so the possible combination if drastically reduced from what it could be. If our mainframe were to be set to the task, it would probably be over and done with much sooner."

"I'll consider that," Skull said. "In the meantime, shut down the lines, return the slaves to their barracks, and any who are ill, send them to the medical wing. Tighten security there. Any systems that are not in immediate use will be shut down for the present. Obtain more supplies from the surface by any means necessary. You know the priority items. Also, the time is coming for our priority targets to start getting hurt. As soon as we have the fifth of the Emeralds in our hands, we will move forward. Begin double-checking the security in the 'guest quarters'. Someone is going to be making a little magic in the near future. A little disappearing act."

"Master, I'd like to ask why you only want five of the Emeralds as opposed to all seven," Blank said.

"Five is enough," Skull said. "I wish to be sure that all seven will not fall into hands that I don't want them in. I will have the Master Emerald in my possession, just in case. Your run-of-the-mill would-be conquerer would consider that unnecessary, but such arrogance is often their downfall."

"Yes, of course," Blank said.

"Leave me now," Skull ordered.

"Yes Master," Blank said, standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

"Shut down the lines, gather all the slaves, and send them to their barracks or to the medical wing, as necessary," Blank ordered.

"Yes sir," one of his subordinates said. As the security units filed out of the room overseeing the workshops in which a thousand slaves worked, Blank looked at the ground. He turned and looked to make sure he wasn't being watched, then he reached over to a nearby control panel and shut off the power to the whole room, including security systems.

"I'd rather prefer not to be a part of this whole thing," he said to himself. "But, I'm in a position to prevent the whole thing, and I'll be damned if I'll pass it up... I still can't believe it. That evil son of a bitch wants to hack a military server and launch missiles by sitting here putting in every possible password until the right one pops up. That is just the dumbest... Well, I guess if they aren't expecting it, it's the most effective way to do it."

* * *

Yes, you read that lastpart correctly. I know this is a shorter chapter, but I just felt I needed to throw out something to remind you all that I'm alive and haven't forgotten you all. Let me give you a little tip: Consider everything in this chapter. Just about all of it is going to come into play at some point. Short as it is, this is actually a kind of important chapter. 


	53. The Note

**  
CHAPTER 53: The Note**

"You sure you'll be okay?" Shadow asked Sonic.

"Yeah, yeah," Sonic said, shifting the ice pack on his right foot. "It's just a sprained ankle and some road rash."

"How do you know it's just sprained?" Shadow asked. "I mean, you haven't even been to a doctor, and I doubt you got an M.D. overnight..."

"This isn't the first time I tripped while running full speed," Sonic said. "It's just lucky it happened close to home this time. I know you've got to be at least a little tired from me leaning on you that long."

"Nope," Shadow said, grinning. "'Ultimate life form' isn't just a fancy title, you know. I'm a good bit stronger than the average person. I could probably have carried your whole weight back here without breaking too much of a sweat."

"I'd really prefer if you'd told me this before," Sonic said. "Well, actually, maybe not. No telling what THAT would have looked like..."

"I don't even want to think about it," Shadow said, starting for the front door. "Well, I'm gonna go say hi to Rouge, then I'm heading home."

"I thought we called it a draw," Sonic said, leaning back on his couch.

"We did," Shadow said. "But that doesn't mean I can't go say good afternoon."

"Okay, alright," Sonic said over his shoulder. "Just joking..."

"Your sense of humor is a little dry right about now," Shadow said. "Must be the ankle."

"Yeah, guess so," Sonic said. "Hope the swelling goes down pretty soon. Sitting around here is the most boring thing in the world."

"Well, least you've got the TV and two friends within walking distance," Shadow said, laying one hand on the doorknob. "Well, I'm going now. I'll see you around."

"Okay, I'll see you," Sonic said, waving with his left arm. Shadow let himself out, closing the door behind him. Sonic looked around for the TV remote, and saw it on the table beside the couch- several feet beyond his reach. He sighed at length. "What luck."

* * *

"Oh yeah, sure, now he gets it," Shadow said to himself as he saw a glowing green gemstone on his bed."I could've used that a couple hours ago. Maybe Sonic wouldn't have tripped and just about killed himself..." Shaking his head, he strode over to his bed and picked up the Emerald. Underneath it he found a hastily-scribbled note on a rather small slip of paper. He read it before doing anything else:

_Shadow,_

_Here is the Emerald you asked for. I hope you  
__can put it to good use. You will hear from us in  
__one month. Until then, keep the Emerald safe,  
__and keep yourself safe._

_Dave_

Shadow stared for a few seconds at the note, reading it again. _What the hell?_ he finally thought. _What does he mean, 'keep yourself safe'? Does he know about the attacks? There's no way he could know, not unless he was connected with them... I'll have to ask him when I see him. Hate to do it, but I'll have to... coax the answers out of him. Think I might have to ask him why he was in such a hurry, too. Kind of hard to read the writing, even if he did spell everything right.

* * *

Yeah, I know. Another shortie. I seem to have a knack for them, don't I? Well, size doesn't matter. Just because something's important doesn't mean it's not small. Hope you like._


	54. A Month Later

**CHAPTER 54: A Month Later...**

"It's ready, Master," Blank said.

"It's about damn time," Skull growled. "I've altered the plan slightly. Forget waiting on five Emeralds. We're moving ahead. You know what to do. I want it done tonight."

"As you wish," Blank said.

* * *

"Damn squirrels are going to drive me crazy," Knuckles mumbled to himself as he heard the sound of leaves rustling. In his half-conscious state, he was oblivious to the fact that the sounds were on the ground, rather than in the trees. He was sprawled out on the stairway in front of the Master Emerald's building, at the top of the stairs. He was staring straight up, eyes only halfway open, looking up at the stars. He'd been trying to get to sleep for an hour, but just as he'd begun to nod off, he'd begun to hear the leaves rustling. For some reason, they drew his attention, and he was unable to block out the sound. However, the sound left him in quite a hurry when he heard the sound of a weapon being cocked. Instantly, he jumped to his feet, only to hear a shot and be knocked back to the ground by a large net. He instinctively remained motionless to avoid being tangled up in it, and began working furiously with only his hands, trying to break a hole in the net that was large enough to free himself without becoming entangled. He looked around as best as he could without moving too much, and saw about two dozen robots standing all around him. As far as he could tell, they were black, and humanoid. They said nothing, coordinating their attack with only hand signals. All of them were carrying handheld net launchers, except one, which carried only a flare gun and some sort of case. It was between the size of a briefcase and a suitcase. While they did not appear to have any mounted weaponry like the last robot to attack on the island, there was no doubt in Knuckles's mind that these robots came from the same place. They all marched right into the Master Emerald building, except for the one with the flare gun. It simply fired a red flare into the sky, and moments later Knuckles became aware of the sound of a helicopter. At this point, he began to pull harder against the net, still trying to break it. As he finally broke one of the ropes, the robot with the flare gun strode over to him and rolled him down the stairs with one mechanical leg, entangling Knuckles in the net so badly that he could barely move one arm enough to scratch his nose. 

"What are you-!" he yelled, but he didn't finish his sentence, as he was drowned out by the helicopter as it came to a stop in midair above the Master Emerald building. A chain was lowered from a door in the side of the helicopter, which looked like it might have been used to transport materials. The chain was lowered through the opening in the ceiling above the place where the massive gemstone rested. A few moments passed before the chain was pulled back up into the aircraft. The Emerald was hoisted inside, the door closed, and the helicopter flew off. The robots re-emerged from the building, and for the first time, they were communicating verbally.

"Alpha team, return to your transport and evacuate the island!" ordered the robot with the flare; this was was the leader, as Knuckles observed. "Bravo team, set up the transmitter, and keep this one secure." It pointed at Knuckles. "Move out!" Wordlessly, the robots obeyed the orders issued to them. Half of the robots ran in a northeasterly direction, presumably toward another helicopter, and the other half moved to secure the perimeter, which consisted of them all keeping their net launchers trained on Knuckles. One of them, the one whose net launcher was empty, took the case from the leader, set it on the ground, and opened it. It raised an antenna connected to what looked like some sort of radio. Knuckles could see it fiddle with some kind of knob and press some buttons, but this was all he could see. Soon, the leader spoke up again.

"Bravo team, return to your transport and wait," it said. "I will remain behind until I receive confirmation that the signal has been received. Move out!" Once the other robots had left, the leader knelt down beside Knuckles.

"You won't get away with this!" Knuckles growled.

"Oldest words in the book," the robot said. "I like to think of myself as a decent being, so I'm going to give you a fighting chance, just to make things more interesting." Before Knuckles could ask exactly what kind of chance this was, the robot rolled him over and hit him in the back of the head.

* * *

"Oh, damn, my head," Knuckles groaned an hour later. "What happened...? Last thing I remember was that robot saying something about a fighting chance or something..." He groaned again and put a hand on his forehead. It took him a moment to register that he could move again; he slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The net was in pieces all around him; the robot must have freed him before it left. He climbed to his feet shakily and looked around. He could register the case that the robots had brought onto the island; it was still open, and some lights on the device inside indicated that it was active. Knuckles looked at it for a few moments before he had an idea. He staggered over to the device, picked it up, carried it over to a nearby tree, and slammed it aganist the trunk several times, smashing the device and sending pieces flying everywhere. Then he reached up, grabbed a low-lying branch, broke it off, tossed the smashed device up into the air a few feet, and smashed it with the broken limb as it came back down. The device flew over 100 feet before crashing to the ground. 

"That takes care of that," Knuckles said to himself. He sat down where he was, shaking his head, trying to rid himself of the ache. After a few minutes, he returned to the large stone building that had housed the Master Emerald only an hour before. Inside, all he found was the Emerald's iron stand. The soft glow was gone. The huge gemstone was not in its place. Knuckles knew it would be gone even before he entered, as he had seen it stolen, but he had had a false hope that he had perhaps dreamt the whole thing. He sighed in frustration, thinking of how he was going to handle this situation. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the strange noise outside for a few seconds. Once he noticed, he stepped outside to see what it was. He looked around for a few seconds before looking into the sky, and what he saw nearly stopped his heart. He dove forward, rolling down the stone stairs of the building, as a large missile slammed into the center of thebuilding, coming fromdirectly above,and completely destroyed it. Smoke and superheated air blew everywhere as stone chunks were blasted away from the building at high speeds, charred black and smoking, very hot. The smaller ones were moving at the speed of a bullet fired out of a gun, while the larger ones, ranging in size from concrete cinder blocks to bookcases, flew at much slower speeds, yet very far (some flying beyond the borders of the island). Knuckles stayed down and kept his head covered for a moment, then looked up into the air. He gasped, then jumped up and ran away just in time to avoid being hit by a particularly large, black chunk of the building, which was about the size of a bathtub.

_Got to get to the teleporter and leave the island!_ he thought frantically. He ran toward the southern end of the island, hoping to find the teleporter, which operated using the power of the Master Emerald, still operational. When he reached the site where it stood, though, his blood ran cold as he found a twisted heap of metal, far from operational. He would not be beamed down to the twin teleporter on solid ground far below,several miles away from the location directly below the island.

"Damn it," he muttered. Turning back to face the direction of the demolished building, he could see a great cloud of black smoke rising up, as well as see the glow of a fire; he guessed some of the surrounding vegetation had caught fire in the blast. He ran toward the eastern end of the island, hoping to take refuge from the fire in the small pond there; he would work out how to escape from the island later. However, before he got that far, he heard another sound which stopped him in his tracks. He looked up just outside a patch of trees, and after already receiving two shocks, hecame as close toa heart attack as he'd ever been. He saw at least a dozen more missiles closing in on the island. He shouted, "Son of a bitch!" before running toward the edge of the island. As he reached the edge, he looked back at the missiles in the sky, which were within seconds of impact, coming straight down on the island. Quickly, Knuckles turned around and did the only thing he could do that would give him a chance of surviving: he dove off the edge of the island just as the missiles began to slam into it. He was a few miles above the planet, so he had some time, in freefall, to lean forward and distance himself from the island. He knew he would land in the ocean, but he also knew that, if the island fell from the sky, as was very likely, it too would fall into the ocean. The effects of this could be left to the imagination. As he fell, Knuckles also knew he was speeding up rapidly, so he spent his fall thinking of how best to avoid being liquefied as soon as he hit the water. It came to him about 300 feet from the water. He turned upside-down in the air by throwing his arms forward. He balled his fists and threw them out below him, keeping his eyes closed, his breath held, and his head down, so to speak. As he approached the surface at terminal velocity, he prayed this would work. His fists hit the water first, absorbing most of the impact. The rest of his body followed fairly smoothly, and once in the water he curved his body so that his course would shift in an arc back toward the surface. Finally, after a few brief moments below the surface, his head broke out into the open air and he took a huge breath. He looked high into the sky, hoping to see some sign of the island, but the sky was too dark, and he could see nothing. He floated there for a moment, several questions on his mind: who would do this, why they would do it, what they wanted with the Master Emerald, and how the island could stay aloft as long as it did without the Emerald's power.

* * *

Okey doke. Took me long enough, but I finally got this story updated. So, was it exciting enough for you, this chapter? Let me know what you think. 


	55. The Last Straw

**CHAPTER 55: The Last Straw**

"Attention, unit SB-32," commanded the voice of Blank, in the wee hours of a particularly rainy morning.

"Go ahead," replied a mechanical voice, responding to a radio message.

"Time to conclude your mission," Blank said. "Load up and come home."

"Command confirmed," the mechanical voice replied.

* * *

"Good morning," greeted Cream, stepping onto her bus at seven o'clock on a very warm, rainy Thursday morning. 

"Morning," replied Mr. Payne, her bus driver. He was a middle-aged man, about five feet four inches, with green eyes and brown hair which was slowing turning gray. His skin was somewhat wrinkled, and he had no beard or mustache. His shoulders were not very broad, and he had little muscle on his body. That's not to say he was fat; in fact, he had very little fat as well, but despite that, his arms and legs were a bit more broad than one might expect. "Might want to get comfortable. We gotta take a detour this morning."

"Okay," Cream said. As she was the last person on the bus every morning, she was seldom in her seat for more than ten minutes in the mornings. As she sat down, she noticed something a tad bit unusual: virtually everyone on the bus was either asleep or very close to it. Indeed, as she pressed her cheek against the window and looked out into the rain, she felt herself beginning to feel very drowsy. This was not unusual, as she was very used to being half asleep as late as her third class. But there was something else... As her eyelids began to grow heavier than usual, she began to notice an odd smell. She lifted her head off the glass and looked to the front of the bus. Mr. Payne didn't seem to notice anything unusual, and he was glancing into his rear-view mirror every few seconds. Cream, nearly asleep, called out weakly, "Mr. Payne, do you smell that?"

"Yeah, the A/C's tore up and it's been making that smell lately," Mr. Payne called back. "You sound kind of tired. If you want to take a little nap, I'll wake you all up when we get to school."

"Sounds good to me," Cream said, yawning widely. Looking around, she noticed no one, except for a bee about her age, siting near the back of the bus, seemed to notice she was saying anything, although on any other day, everyone would have noticed someone calling out to the bus driver from halfway toward the back of the bus. She wasn't really sure why this mattered to her, but for some reason, as she began to drift off to sleep, something in the back of her mind told her it mattered. Something else in her mind also told her to fight for all she was worth to stay awake, but the temptation to sleep was too great, and she succumbed to it at last.

* * *

_Don't fall asleep!_ shouted Charmy's voice, which rang through his head. _Come on, stay awake! You know you won't wake up! You're too much of a heavy sleeper! COME ON!_ The bee had been sitting in his seat for nearly thirty minutes, fighting not to fall asleep, which he'd been very close to doing ever since he'd climbed onto the bus. He was resorting to the voice in his head, his own, not to fall asleep. It was working, but by this point, staying awake was a sheer test of willpower, which was rapidly running thin. His head was bobbing, his eyelids heavy, his jaws becoming tired from yawning every five seconds. He found it highly unusual that he was so tired from the moment he stepped onto the bus; he found it just plain crazy that everyone was asleep all at the same time. This was the reason behind his fight to stay awake. He knew something was wrong, although what it was escaped him. All he knew was that if he fell asleep, there would be trouble; he had a very funny feeling that there would be trouble either way, and he did not wish to be unconscious when it came. 

"Mr Payne, do you smell that?" called out the rabbit in a seat in the middle of the bus. Charmy looked up; he recognized her. She used to hang out with the pink hedgehog who had always been chasing Sonic around everywhere. But what was her name? He couldn't recall; his mind was too clouded with other things, such as the voice ordering him not to pass out.

"Yeah, the A/C's tore up and it's been making that smell lately," the bus driver was calling back. "You sound kind of tired. If you want to..." His voice trailed off. Charmy's head fell, his eyes closed. His wings drooped unenergetically, and he fell into the half-conscious state between sleep and waking.

_WAKE UP, DAMN IT!_ shouted a voice in Charmy's head, this one sounding oddly like Espio's. Charmy, startled, jerked awake again, looking around. Had he just heard...? Was it possible that Espio was watching...? His brain addled and almost completely incapable of conscious thought, he would have believed it if someone told him that Espio was still alive and hiding right beside him, although in his subconscious, he believed he had just recalled Espio's voice from a time when the chameleon had become agitated by Charmy's snoring and had attempted, with no luck, to awaken the sleeping bee.

"...to me," the rabbit in the seat toward the front had called out. Charmy blinked a few times, shook his head, and looked up at her. She looked around and noticed him staring, but thought nothing of it.

_No, don't go to sleep,_ repeated the voice in Charmy's head, this voice belonging to the bee rather than his deceased comrade. Charmy listened, still fighting to stay awake, although he noticed he was beginning to lose his already loose hold on consciousness. The rabbit up front had pressed her cheek to the window. Charmy attempted to call out to her to stay awake, and that something bad was going to happen, but he was simply too tired and too weak to even open his mouth. He could barely hold his head up any longer. He gave in and leaned his forehead on the window, the voice in his head protesting vehemently (_WAKE UP YOU BASTARD!_ it shouted). While he had given up trying to keep his head up, he still made one last effort not to pass out, pinching his left arm with his right hand. However, it was the weakest pinch he had ever attempted, and proved to be a waste of his time and effort. Finally, his hold on consciousness slipped away, and he dozed off. The last thing he remembered seeing was a dead-end sign on a street corner.

* * *

"Ah, I needed that," Tails sighed in contentment, finishing off a large ham sandwich. As he sat and rested, recovering from a long day of school and a very nearly-avoided fight, his phone rang. He growled and got up to answer it, unaware that this call was going to ruin his day, and a lot more besides. "Hello?" he answered in a tone that completely contradicted how he felt about phones at the moment. 

"This is Jack the Rabbit, Cream's uncle," the voice on the other side said. "Is this Tails?"

"Yes," Tails replied. "How are you today, sir?" Tails had met Cream's uncle about two weeks before, and he had proved an imposing enough figure, whether it was by accident or design, that Tails addressed him with utmost respect.

"Not good I'm afraid," answered Jack. "Cream isn't there, is she?"

"No," Tails replied, this question catching him off guard. "Why do you ask?"

"You're telling the truth?" Jack asked, ignoring Tails's question.

"Yes," Tails said. "I have no reason not to."

"I was afraid of that," Jack said. "I was halfway hoping she'd chosen today to skip school... I don't guess this has been on the news yet, but I got a call from Cream's school about five minutes ago. They told me her bus never made it to school this morning, and they hadn't been able to get in touch with it. The county had about six of their people trace the bus's route looking for it, but no one found anything."

"Whoa, hold on," Tails said, throwing respect aside. "Are you telling me her bus disappeared?"

"That's about the best way to say it," Jack said. "Listen, my wife doesn't know yet, but I'm going to have to break the news to her pretty soon. I'm going to let you go right now because she's due to get home any minute. If you hear anything, you call me, you hear?"

"Yes sir," Tails said. Jack hung up his phone without saying good-bye; Tails knew he would do that, as Cream had told him before that he did that to everyone. Immediately after he hung up, the fox picked the phone back up and dialed Amy's number to let her know.

* * *

"Damn it, am I EVER going to get a shower?" Rouge growled as her phone rang. She wrapped a towel around herself and turned off the shower she had been a half second from stepping into. "Three people want to sell me something, Amy gets in an accident and needs a ride, then we have to have her car towed to a shop... I need to just shut off the ringer on that thing!" She stormed over to the phone and picked it up, exercising a huge amount of patience not to sound like she felt. "Hello." 

"I don't suppose you heard Cream's school bus is missing, did you?" Amy's voice asked.

"No," Rouge said, startled. "When did it happen?"

"Today," Amy said. "I just found out from Tails. He got a call from Cream's uncle, asking if she was there."

"Amy, don't take this the wrong way," Rouge said, "but why did you think of me to tell this to first?"

"Remember when I told you Vector told me and Tails about how groups of up to fifty people would go missing at a time?" Amy asked.

"You think it's related," Rouge said. "Well, can't deny the possibility... Tell you what. I need to let you go, because I need to make a phone call."

"Okay," Amy said. "I hope to God I'm wrong about this whole thing."

"You and me both," Rouge said.

* * *

Crap, I took a shitload longer with this one than I wanted to. College keeps a guy busy, mmhm. Ah well. I'll get used to it. Read it, review it... Wait, you already did read it if you're reading this... Well then, guess you know what comes next. I hope you like. 


	56. You're Hired

**CHAPTER 56: You're Hired**

"So, you finally came around, huh?" said a middle-aged man in a gray suit, sitting in a desk across from Rouge, who had not gone out of her way to dress for the occasion. The man had black hair with flecks of gray throughout, a face that was beginning to wrinkle in places, and rather small brown eyes. He was slightly overweight and about five and a half feet tall.

"Why don't we just cut the crap and get down to business, Vargas?" the bat snapped. "I'm slightly on edge and you're the last person I want to deal with right now. One of my friends is missing along with an entire busload of kids, I think I may have something that can provide the answer to all our questions, and you want to talk about the weather and that sort of shit!"

"Same as ever," Terry Vargas said, lighting a cigar and puffing on it. "Okay. You want to talk business, we'll talk business. You know the rules. Nothing's changed from years ago. I hope you have. Just because of a little close call, you dropped out of the game, just like that."

"Shut up," Rouge snapped. "The day you come that close to death, you look me in the eye and say you weren't afraid. It's all fun and games until someone's onto you, then it starts being serious."

"That was your own fault," Vargas said, his voice a bit more firm this time. "You blew the job, you nearly paid for it. You failed the mission and you almost got yourself killed!"

"My ass I did!" Rouge retorted. "I nearly got killed, yeah, but I still got you the intel you wanted, didn't I?"

"We could have sent my secretary to get intel, for Christ's sake!" Vargas nearly yelled. "I sent you to be invisible! I sent you because you don't exist!"

"You are so full of shit," Rouge said quietly. "Look, I'm not here to fight with you, otherwise I'd have strung your entrails through the trees like Christmas decorations by now. You had a job no one else was available for and you came to me, so either get back on the right subject or I'm out of here!"

"Fine," Vargas said in a normal tone of voice. "I'm sure that, after corresponding with your friends, you're aware that people and military supply shipments, as well as weapon designs, have been stolen over the past few years, and especially in the past few months. We're pretty sure we're dealing with terrorists here. Now, something I'm sure you are NOT aware of happened just the other night." He handed Rouge a folder labeled "Confidential: Eyes Only" which contained a report of a computer hacker launching missles. Rouge scanned it for two minutes before her blood ran cold.

"You've got to be shitting me," she breathed as she read the section detailing what the missiles hit and the aftermath.

"I am not," Vargas said. "You and I are the only two people outside the military who know about this. It is to remain a need-to-know, classified fact. You can imagine why."

"Right," Rouge said vaguely, reading the report again, hoping that she'd misread it the first time.

"A breakdown of basic social services throughout the country," Vargas said. "Panic. Riots. Mass religious hysteria. And all because some kid in a basement somewhere has the means to access and launch nuclear warheads. We're lucky the missiles weren't nuclear or we'd have an even bigger mess on our hands."

"Least a big coverup wasn't necessary," Rouge mumbled, finally looking up from the file.

"I'm fairly sure a reason for this attack exists," Vargas said. "You might know, you might not. Frankly, I don't give a shit what the reason is. You said you know how to figure out who did it, so go do it."

"Consider it done," Rouge said, getting up to leave.

"Oh, and Rouge," Vargas said. Rouge stopped but didn't turn around. "Remember. Need-to-know basis."

* * *

Yeah, I know. Unbelievably short and it took me a while to get it out, but what can I say? Wasn't really a whole lot else to add here. I DID have a big, long fight planned out, but I kinda rolled over in my sleep one night and it fell out one ear. I'd have written it down, but that's what happens when you're brainstorming in the middle of your college-level programmingclass. Anyway, review away. 


End file.
